Radiation therapy facilities in the United States Journal Article
| Authors: | Ballas, L. K.; Elkin, E. B.; Schrag, D.; Minsky, B. D.; Bach, P. B. |
| Article Title: | Radiation therapy facilities in the United States |
| Abstract: | Purpose: About half of all cancer patients in the United States receive radiation therapy as a part of their cancer treatment. Little is known, however, about the facilities that currently deliver external beam radiation. Our goal was to construct a comprehensive database of all radiation therapy facilities in the United States that can be used for future health services research in radiation oncology. Methods and Materials: From each state's health department we obtained a list of all facilities that have a linear accelerator or provide radiation therapy. We merged these state lists with information from the American Hospital Association (AHA), as well as 2 organizations that audit the accuracy of radiation machines: the Radiologic Physics Center (RPC) and the Radiation Dosimetry Services (RDS). The comprehensive database included all unique facilities listed in 1 or more of the 4 sources. Results: We identified 2,246 radiation therapy facilities operating in the United States as of 2004-2005. Of these, 448 (20%) facilities were identified through state health department records alone and were not listed in any other data source. Conclusions: Determining the location of the 2,246 radiation facilities in the United States is a first step in providing important information to radiation oncologists and policymakers concerned with access to radiation therapy services, the distribution of health care resources, and the quality of cancer care. © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. |
| Keywords: | united states; cancer radiotherapy; neoplasms; accuracy; radiotherapy; data base; oncology; health care quality; hospital; health service; medical information; radiation oncology; dosimetry; medical research; public health service; medical record; medical society; radiation therapy; patient treatment; medical service; radiotherapy, high-energy; linear accelerator; particle accelerators; biomedical engineering; geography; health care facility; database; health services accessibility; database systems; access to care; facility location; resource distribution; test facilities; radiation dosimetry services (rds); radiation physics |
| Journal Title: | International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics |
| Volume: | 66 |
| Issue: | 4 |
| ISSN: | 0360-3016 |
| Publisher: | Elsevier Inc. |
| Date Published: | 2006-11-15 |
| Start Page: | 1204 |
| End Page: | 1211 |
| Language: | English |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2006.06.035 |
| PUBMED: | 17145535 |
| PROVIDER: | scopus |
| DOI/URL: | |
| Notes: | --- - "Cited By (since 1996): 8" - "Export Date: 4 June 2012" - "CODEN: IOBPD" - "Source: Scopus" |
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