Abstract
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, with rehabilitation services playing a critical role in secondary prevention and patient recovery. However, disparities in access to these services persist between urban and rural areas. This study examines geographical differences in access to rehabilitation facilities using county-level data from the Area Health Resources File (AHRF). A cross-sectional analysis of 3,142 U.S. counties was conducted to compare facility distribution using two measures: (1) rehabilitation facilities per 100,000 residents and (2) the average number of facilities per county. Facility availability was assessed based solely on the number of rehabilitation centers per 100,000 residents, without adjusting for other healthcare access factors. A two-sample t-test assuming unequal variances was performed to assess statistical significance. Findings reveal that urban areas have 2.27 rehabilitation facilities per 100,000 people, whereas rural areas have 7.90 per 100,000 people, suggesting a higher per capita facility count in rural regions. However, when analyzed at the county level, urban counties have an average of 4.58 facilities per county, while rural counties have 11.78 per county, indicating that services are concentrated in specific rural regions while other areas remain underserved. This uneven distribution may contribute to significant disparities in travel burden, workforce shortages, and access to care, limiting the availability of rehabilitation services for many rural residents. These findings challenge the assumption that rural areas generally experience lower access to rehabilitation services and instead reveal that geographic disparities within rural counties contribute to healthcare inequities. While some rural regions have sufficient facilities, others remain critically underserved, potentially leading to significant barriers such as extended travel distances, workforce shortages, and facility clustering.
Start Time
16-4-2025 9:00 AM
End Time
16-4-2025 11:30 AM
Presentation Type
Poster
Presentation Category
Health
Student Type
Graduate Student - Masters
Faculty Mentor
Nathan Hale
Faculty Department
Health Services Management and Policy
PowerPoint Version
Access to Rehabilitation Services for Cardiovascular Patients: Rural vs. Urban Counties
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, with rehabilitation services playing a critical role in secondary prevention and patient recovery. However, disparities in access to these services persist between urban and rural areas. This study examines geographical differences in access to rehabilitation facilities using county-level data from the Area Health Resources File (AHRF). A cross-sectional analysis of 3,142 U.S. counties was conducted to compare facility distribution using two measures: (1) rehabilitation facilities per 100,000 residents and (2) the average number of facilities per county. Facility availability was assessed based solely on the number of rehabilitation centers per 100,000 residents, without adjusting for other healthcare access factors. A two-sample t-test assuming unequal variances was performed to assess statistical significance. Findings reveal that urban areas have 2.27 rehabilitation facilities per 100,000 people, whereas rural areas have 7.90 per 100,000 people, suggesting a higher per capita facility count in rural regions. However, when analyzed at the county level, urban counties have an average of 4.58 facilities per county, while rural counties have 11.78 per county, indicating that services are concentrated in specific rural regions while other areas remain underserved. This uneven distribution may contribute to significant disparities in travel burden, workforce shortages, and access to care, limiting the availability of rehabilitation services for many rural residents. These findings challenge the assumption that rural areas generally experience lower access to rehabilitation services and instead reveal that geographic disparities within rural counties contribute to healthcare inequities. While some rural regions have sufficient facilities, others remain critically underserved, potentially leading to significant barriers such as extended travel distances, workforce shortages, and facility clustering.