To document the characteristics, costs, and services of lodging organizations that support domestic medical travelers and introduce a publicly accessible, geocoded national dataset to inform health services research and policy. We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study of lodging organizations serving patients and caregivers traveling for medical care across the United States between April 2023 and May 2024. Structured data collection and geospatial mapping were performed. We used chi-square tests to compare characteristics of pediatric-only versus adult- or all-age-serving facilities. Primary data were collected through systematic review of publicly available websites, national directories, and direct outreach to facilities. The analytic sample included 502 U.S.-based lodging organizations meeting eligibility criteria: providing temporary accommodations to patients and caregivers traveling for care. Data were geocoded and analyzed using ArcGIS and R (version 2024.04.2). Among the 502 organizations, 52.4% offered free lodging and 84.7% advertised financial assistance. Pediatric-only facilities (40.8% of the sample) were significantly more likely to offer support services (99.0% vs. 77.1%) and lower-cost accommodations than those serving adults or all ages. Services varied: 53% offered meals, 41% transportation, and 33% domestic activity support (e.g., laundry or kitchens). Organizational affiliation also varied, with 44.4% being independent or hospital-based. A geocoded national map of all facilities was developed and made publicly available at https://www.umaryland.edu/navigator . Lodging organizations form a decentralized but vital support system for patients and caregivers navigating medical travel. This study reveals structural variation in access and highlights equity gaps, particularly for adults and patients with less common diagnoses. Findings support recognition of lodging as a health-related social need and its potential integration into value-based care, Medicaid waivers, and hospital community benefit strategies.

Keywords: Access to care; Domestic medical travel; Health-related social needs; Patient and caregiver lodging; Rural health.

© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

为了记录支持国内医疗旅行者的住宿机构的特征、成本和服务，并介绍一个可供公众访问的地理编码全国数据集，以促进健康服务研究和政策制定。我们于2023年4月至2024年5月在美国范围内对服务于患者及其照顾者进行医疗护理期间提供临时住所的住宿机构进行了横断面描述性研究。开展了结构化数据收集和地理空间制图工作。我们使用卡方检验比较了仅服务儿童与成人或所有年龄段服务设施之间的特征差异。原始数据通过系统审查公开网站、国家目录以及直接联系这些设施的方式进行收集。分析样本包括符合资格标准的502家美国住宿机构：为前往接受医疗护理的患者和照顾者提供临时住所。数据被地理编码，并使用ArcGIS和R（版本 2024.04.2）进行分析。在502个组织中，52.4%提供了免费住宿，84.7%宣传了财务援助。仅服务儿童的设施占样本总量的40.8%，显著更有可能提供支持服务（99.0% 对比 77.1%）和低成本住所。所提供的服务各不相同：53% 提供餐饮服务，41% 提供交通服务，33% 提供国内活动支持（例如洗衣或厨房设施）。组织隶属关系也有所不同，其中44.4% 是独立的或者基于医院的。开发了一张所有设施的地理编码全国地图，并在 https://www.umaryland.edu/navigator 向公众公开发布。住宿机构构成了一个分散但至关重要的支持系统，帮助患者和照顾者应对医疗旅行中的挑战。本研究揭示了访问结构上的差异，并强调了成年人群以及患有少见疾病患者的公平差距问题。该发现支持将住宿视为与健康相关的社会需求，并有可能将其整合进基于价值的护理、Medicaid 免费豁免项目及医院社区福利策略中。

关键词：医疗保健准入；国内医疗旅行；与健康相关社会需求；患者和照顾者住宿；农村卫生。