ArticlePloS one2017
Disparities in delivery of ophthalmic care; An exploration of public Medicare data.
Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed.
- Geographical barriers to surgical treatment for cataract among California Medicare beneficiaries.Journal of cataract and refractive surgery · 2026Article
- Linking multicenter electronic health records with socioeconomic data to examine receipt of standard versus premium intraocular lenses.AJO international · 2026Article
- Ophthalmological care delivery in East Kazakhstan: a qualitative study of ophthalmologists on system barriers and service organization.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- The Impact of Primary Care Provider Telemedicine Adoption on Pediatric Ophthalmology Referrals.Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association · 2025Article
- Oxidative Stress and Cataract Formation: Evaluating the Efficacy of Antioxidant Therapies.Biomolecules · 2024Review
- Travel time to cataract surgical services in Kenya, Malawi and Rwanda: demonstrating a standardised indicator of physical access to cataract surgery.Eye (London, England) · 2024Article
- The Role of Reactive Oxygen Species in Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Comprehensive Review of Antioxidant Therapies.Biomedicines · 2024Review
- Examining the Impact of Certificate of Need Laws on the Utilization and Reimbursement of Cataract Surgeries Among Medicare Beneficiaries.Journal of health economics and outcomes research · 2024Article
- Opting out of Medicare: Characteristics and differences between optometrists and ophthalmologists.PloS one · 2024Article
- Demographic and socioeconomic disparities in receipt of ophthalmology consultation for facial trauma.BMJ open ophthalmology · 2023Article
- Disparities in Vision Health and Eye Care.Ophthalmology · 2022Article
- A Service Coverage Analysis of Primary Congenital Glaucoma Care Across the United States.American journal of ophthalmology · 2021Article
- Visual Impairment Is More Common in Parkinson's Disease and Is a Risk Factor for Poor Health Outcomes.Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society · 2020Article
- Geographic availability to optometry services across Canada: mapping distribution, need and self-reported use.BMC health services research · 2020Article
- Blindness and Visual Impairment in the Medicare Population: Disparities and Association with Hip Fracture and Neuropsychiatric Outcomes.Ophthalmic epidemiology · 2019Article
- A Blurry Bottom Line: The Economics of Declining Medicare Payment Trends in Ophthalmology Subspecialties, 2003 to 2024.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financingArticle
- Embedded deep learning in ophthalmology: making ophthalmic imaging smarter.Therapeutic advances in ophthalmologyReview
- Rurality predisposes departure from gold-standard care, leading to delayed or accelerated access to surgery: insights from a scoping review.Canadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgieArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeCataract is a major cause of age-related eye diseases in the United States, and cataract extraction is the most commonly performed surgery on Medicare beneficiaries. Analyzing the pattern in delivery of cataract care at the national level can highlight areas of disparities. We evaluated geographic disparities seen in cataract surgery delivery to Medicare beneficiaries in the United States.
settingCataract extractions across the United States in 2012.
designCross-sectional study examining distance to provider and observed versus expected number of cataract extractions.
methodsCataract extraction current procedural terminology codes were used to sum the total observed number of cataract extractions per cataract surgeon. Epidemiology data on expected number of cataract surgeries in one year by decade of life were extrapolated via a Gaussian Process model. A linear regression model was used to compare differences in delivery of care between US economic regions.
results2.2 million patients underwent cataract surgery in the Medicare dataset in 2012. The average distance to the nearest provider was 9.846 miles (standard deviation: 11.410 miles). This distance was statistically significant (p < 2.0 x 10-22) in the New England (5.935 mi), Mideast (6.356 mi), Great Lakes (8.733 mi), Far West (9.038 mi), Southeast (9.793 mi), Southwest (12.711 mi), Plains (16.047 mi), and Rocky Mountain (17.934 mi) regions. The total number of expected cataract surgeries greater than 100 miles to the nearest cataract surgeon was 1,901, where Montana, South Dakota, and Texas each had over 200 of these expected distances.
conclusionsA large discrepancy exists in cataract delivery to the Medicare population based on geographic factors. Patients who live in rural areas travel farther on average to see ophthalmologists, resulting in a lower observed than expected rate of cataract surgery. Our results have implications in future allocation of resources and ophthalmologists.
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