Cohort study
Distance and Likelihood of Cardiovascular Imaging Receipt Among Medicare Beneficiaries
- Retrospective cohort study
Authors' conclusion
From 2018 to 2021, the number of CVICs increased, although distances to CVICs remained stable. The lowest likelihood receipt of imaging overall was among those patients living within 10 miles of a CVIC, a finding suggesting that proximity is insufficient for access. CCT, CMR, and PET services were concentrated in large metropolitan academic centers.
Study context
- Population
- Older US Medicare fee-for-service and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries, 2018–2021
- Participants
- 64,260,530 participants
- Exposure
- Distance to nearest cardiovascular imaging centre, by distance category
- Outcome
- Likelihood of receipt of cardiovascular imaging (CVI) as a function of distance to nearest CVIC
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Receipt of CVI
Each group vs 10 to 16 milesRate ratio (95% CI)P value
>16 miles
0.957(0.956–0.959)
P < 0.001Within 10 mileslowest likelihood of receipt
0.923(0.921–0.924)
P < 0.001- Underwent cardiovascular imaging (CVI) (all beneficiaries)
- 17.5%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | Values |
|---|---|
| Median distance to services, by imaging modality | CCT median 8.1 (IQR 3.7–21.3) miles · CMR median 17.4 (IQR 7.3–43.3) miles · PET median 88.9 (IQR 26.2–194.6) miles · Echocardiography median 3.4 (IQR 0.4–7.0) miles · SPECT median 3.8 (IQR 1.3–7.9) miles |
- Median distance to services, by imaging modality: Cardiac computed tomography (CCT), cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and positron emission tomography (PET) distances longer than echocardiography and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)
Number of cardiovascular imaging center (CVICs) and median distance to CVIC over time · 2018 to 2021
- Number of CVICs increased (per year)
- 0.02%
- Median distance to CVICs remained stable
- 3.3-3.4 miles
Original publication
Distance and Likelihood of Cardiovascular Imaging Receipt Among Medicare Beneficiaries. JACC Cardiovasc Imaging. Published 3 December 2025. doi:10.1016/j.jcmg.2025.10.018
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it