The scope and distribution of imaging services at critical access hospitals.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to better understand the availability and scope of imaging services at critical access hospitals (CAHs) throughout the United States.


METHODS
Recent American Hospital Association (AHA) annual survey data (containing 1,063 variables providing comprehensive information on organizational characteristics and availability of various services at 6,317 hospitals nationwide) and US census data were merged. Imaging survey data included mammography, ultrasound, CT, MRI, single photon emission CT, and combined PET/CT. Availability and characteristics of imaging services at the 1,060 CAHs in 45 states for which sufficient data were available were studied.


RESULTS
Mammography, ultrasound, and some form of CT were the most widely available of all imaging services, but were available in all CAHs in only 13%, 33%, and 56% of all states, respectively. In no states were ≥64-slice CT, MRI, single photon emission CT, and combined PET/CT available in all CAHs.


CONCLUSIONS
An overall scarcity of access to imaging services exists at CAHs throughout the United States. With 19.3% of the US population residing in rural areas and almost entirely dependent on CAHs for health services, the policy implications for imaging access could be profound. Further research is necessary to investigate the effect of imaging access on CAH patient outcomes.
Department of Health Administration and Policy, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, College of Public Health, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Electronic address: amir-khaliq@ouhsc.edu.
Amir A
AA
Khaliq
Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute, Reston, Virginia.
Eugene
E
Nsiah
Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute, Reston, Virginia.
Nadia H
NH
Bilal
Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute, Reston, Virginia; Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute, Reston, Virginia.
Danny R
DR
Hughes
Department of Health Administration and Policy, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia; Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
Richard
R
Duszak
D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006743:Hospital Bed Capacity, under 100; D006780:Hospitals, Rural / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D006278:Medicare / Q000191:economics; D014481:United States
Medical imaging; critical access hospitals; patient access; rural health