Association of Rurality, Race and Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status With the Surgical Management of Colon Cancer and Postoperative Outcomes Among Medicare Beneficiaries

Abstract

These findings suggest that Medicare beneficiaries from small town and rural areas were more likely to undergo surgery for nonmetastatic colon cancer than metropolitan beneficiaries but also more likely to undergo emergent surgery and less likely to have MIS. The experiences of rural patients varied by race; rurality was associated with higher postoperative mortality for Black patients but not for other racial and ethnic groups.