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Distance is a Shortcut – Not a Measure of Access
For decades, healthcare network adequacy in the US has been measured using a simple proxy: distance.
Distance-based measures focus on how far a member lives from a provider and how many providers fall within a fixed radius. These metrics were adopted because they are easy to calculate at scale and not because they reflect how members actually access care.
But distance has never equalled true proximity and access. Static, map-based assumptions fail to account for real-world conditions, and healthcare organisations are increasingly being asked to demonstrate that members can realistically reach care, not just that providers exist somewhere nearby.
It’s time to move beyond distance as the primary measure of accessibility and adopt accurate, real-world travel times delivered at scale, with high performance, and in a way that makes commercial sense.
The Problem with Distance-Based Adequacy
Distance-based adequacy metrics were designed for simplicity, not reality. And the models rely on assumptions that rarely hold true in real healthcare markets. They assume that:
- Straight-line or radial distance has a direct correlation to accessibility
- Travel conditions are uniform across regions, across the US, and the globe
- Members have equal access to transportation
- Travel conditions remain the same at all times of day
In practice, none of this holds true. For example, two members could live the same distance from a provider, yet experience completely different journeys depending on:
- Traffic congestion and road network constraints
- Public transit coverage and service frequency
- Urban vs rural infrastructure
- Peak versus off-peak travel conditions and service frequency
The Network Risk: Adequate by Distance, Inadequate by Time
Across US healthcare networks, a common pattern is emerging. Networks that pass distance-based standards can fail when assessed using travel time.
This creates a clear series of risks for healthcare organisations:
- Compliance exposure as regulators scrutinise access more closely
- Member dissatisfaction driven by long or impractical journeys
- Inefficient network design that performs poorly
Time-based analysis can surface these gaps before they become regulatory findings, appeals, or member complaints.
Travel Time Reflects Real Access
Journey time calculations answer the questions that distance cannot:
- How long does it really take for a member to get to care?
- How many members does each healthcare facility serve within a given travel time?
- Where are there gaps in access to healthcare?
This is because, unlike static distance metrics, real-world travel time analysis reflects how people move through the world and access different locations. Time and transport-based analysis can:
- Account for real road networks and transit routes
- Reflect traffic patterns and off-peak/peak variability
- Support multiple transport modes including driving, public transit, cycling, and walking
- Identify providers that are technically nearby but practically inaccessible
- Surface healthcare provision gaps
For provider network management teams, this translates into more accurate adequacy assessments, better population-level insights, stronger confidence in network design decisions, and regulatory compliance.
Travel Times at Scale
We know that using time rather than distance to measure real-world accessibility makes sense.
However, historically, travel time analysis has been difficult at scale. Healthcare PNM teams need to evaluate millions of member-to-provider journeys across multiple states and markets for different transport modes under consistent, auditable assumptions.
At this kind of scale, it’s common for organisations to be forced to compromise on performance, reliability, or cost predictability – never truly finding a solution that ticks all the boxes.
TravelTime API for Healthcare Networks
TravelTime is changing what’s possible for healthcare network management. Our API provides high-performance, real-world travel time calculations designed for large-scale analysis.
TravelTime API delivers:
- Accurate journey times across all US states – and globally
- Support for multiple transport modes
- Consistent, auditable results suitable for regulatory use
- Millions of calculations reliably with unbeatable performance
- Custom parameters, including peak and off-peak travel conditions
Crucially for healthcare organisations, TravelTime operates on a fixed-cost pricing model, enabling unlimited journey time calculations without per-query cost uncertainty.
That means PNM teams can run large-scale adequacy analyses, scenario modelling, and market comparisons without worrying about the challenges of unpredictable API costs. A critical requirement for enterprise healthcare use cases.
Visit the TravelTime Playground demo environment to try our different endpoints.
Travel Time: A Better Standard for Network Adequacy
Distance data will always have a place as a reference point. But it should no longer be the key metric for network decision-making.
Travel time analysis reflects the lived experience of members and captures the difference between theoretical coverage and real access to care. As such, the healthcare organisations that adopt travel time as a core adequacy metric gain:
- A more accurate understanding of access
- Stronger justification for network decisions
- Better alignment with member reality and regulatory expectations
See how real-world travel time changes network adequacy insights
Explore how TravelTime helps healthcare organisations accurately assess networks, at scale, across every US market - with predictable, fixed-cost pricing.
rebecca payton