Venous CommUNITY Session: Closing Gaps in Access and Research

Venous CommUNITY Committee Session: Closing the Access Gap

This committee session examined two barriers to equitable venous care through case-based panel discussion.

Research and Insurance Disparities

Panelists discussed patients denied insurance coverage for pelvic venous disease treatment as experimental, and the challenge of designing research that includes patients typically excluded from trials, such as postmenopausal women and those without access to major centers. Proposed solutions included prospective registries, validated patient reported outcome tools, and dedicated research grants for underrepresented populations.

The Rural Access Gap

A second panel addressed patients who travel hours to reach a venous specialist, citing provider shortages that compound geographic distance. Panelists recommended partnering with critical access hospitals to bring venous care closer to rural patients, consolidating visits, and correcting Medicare reimbursement disparities that make rural practice financially unsustainable and drive provider turnover.