A new study from Michigan Medicine has highlighted a serious problem that many older Americans face, especially those living in rural areas.
The problem is how far they have to travel to see a neurologist—a doctor who specializes in brain and nerve problems.
The study looked at people with Medicare, the government health program for seniors. It found that many of these patients had to go on long trips just to get the care they needed.
In 2018, almost 18% of them traveled more than 50 miles in one direction to see a neurologist. For those people, the average one-way distance was 81 miles, which means about 90 minutes on the road.
This is very different from patients who live closer to neurologists. They only traveled an average of 13 miles, which took about 22 minutes.
Dr. Brian C. Callaghan, one of the researchers, said that traveling so far makes it hard for patients to return for follow-up visits. These return visits are important because many brain and nerve conditions need ongoing care. In fact, the study showed that people who had to travel long distances were 26% less likely to come back for a second appointment.
The research also showed that nearly one-third of patients passed by closer neurologists to visit ones farther away. Around 7% even crossed state borders. This could mean they were looking for a specific doctor or thought the care further away was better.
The issue is even more serious for people with diseases like ALS or nervous system cancers. These conditions are complicated and require regular care from specialists. Unfortunately, those patients often have to travel the farthest.
The study suggests some possible solutions to make brain care easier to reach. One is telemedicine—online doctor visits—which became more popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. This allows patients to talk to a neurologist from home, without having to travel.
Another idea is to train local doctors in rural areas to handle basic brain and nerve problems. This way, they can treat simpler cases and only send patients to specialists when absolutely needed.
Long travel distances are not just inconvenient. Past research in cancer care shows that it can delay treatment and make people feel worse. The same could be true for brain care.
This study was supported by the American Academy of Neurology. The researchers plan to continue their work by looking at how long travel times affect patients’ health over time. They also want to see if telemedicine is making a difference.
The goal is to find better ways to help people in rural areas get the care they need—without spending hours in the car. Everyone deserves easy access to good healthcare, no matter where they live.
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