Cancer patients treated in hospital outpatient departments are almost four times more likely than those treated in physician offices to be uninsured or covered by Medicaid, a new study commissioned by the American Hospital Association shows. They also tend to be sicker and come from lower-income communities.
Unlike other studies that have erroneously examined the zip codes of hospital clinics, the new research correctly focuses on the demographics of the patients themselves. It finds that cancer patients treated in hospital outpatient facilities are twice as likely those treated in a physician’s office to be black or Hispanic. These individuals are also more likely to have severe chronic health conditions and have been in the emergency room more often. These conditions include congestive heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity.
The new data are no surprise. Safety-net hospitals treat huge numbers of needy cancer patients. Private oncologists also make a point of sending their underinsured and uninsured patients to the nearest hospital for treatment because they can’t make any money on them.