Study: Rural residents have more surgeries than city dwellers

A new national study of nearly 46 million Medicare patients found that residents of rural areas are more likely to undergo any of nine common surgeries than residents in cities, a notion that seems to challenge a long-standing belief that rural areas lack access to care (Source: “Study challenges rural lack of access to surgery,” Associated Press via Seattle Times, May 16, 2011).

According to the Texas Tech University study, which appeared in the journal Archives of Surgery, back surgery, hip and knee replacements, and prostate removal were all more common among rural Medicare patients, using data from 2006.

The study’s authors caution against reading too much into their findings, however. They note that the results could mean that rural residents are sicker, getting treatment they don't need, or more likely to delay treatment for aches and pains until they worsen and require surgery.