Effects of rural hospital closures on cancer care and racial disparities
Official title: Impact of Rural Hospital Closures on Cancer Outcomes and Cancer Racial Disparity among Medicare Beneficiaries
Funded at University of Texas Arlington · NIH-10952905 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study looks at how closing rural hospitals affects cancer patients, especially those on Medicare with lung, breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers, to see if it changes their access to care and survival rates.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R03 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Texas Arlington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Arlington, United States) |
| Project start | September 19, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $171,163 |
| NIH project number | 1R03CA292975-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-10952905 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are Medicare beneficiaries living in rural areas who have been diagnosed with lung, breast, prostate, or colorectal cancers.
✕Less likely to help
Patients living in urban areas or those not diagnosed with the specified cancers may not receive direct benefits from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how the closure of rural hospitals affects cancer outcomes for patients, particularly focusing on Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with lung, breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers. It aims to understand the impact of these closures on access to care, treatment options, and overall survival rates among rural cancer survivors. By analyzing data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) and Medicare, the study will employ a difference-in-differences methodology to compare cancer care outcomes in counties with and without hospital closures. The goal is to shed light on the widening disparities in cancer care between rural and urban populations, especially among racial and ethnic minorities.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved cancer care strategies and policies that address disparities faced by rural populations.
How similar studies have gone: While there is limited research specifically on the impact of rural hospital closures on cancer outcomes, studies have shown that access to care significantly affects health outcomes, indicating potential for meaningful insights from this research.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Texas Arlington
Arlington, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Liu, Zhaoli — University of Texas Arlington
- Study coordinator: Liu, Zhaoli
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.