Freestanding abortion clinics: services, structure, fees

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health Services Research
• Healthcare Facility Administration
• Public Health Policy

Background:

• The Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) and National Abortion Federation (NAF) collaborated to gather current data on abortion providers.
• Previous information on abortion clinic structure, services, policies, and fees needed updating.
• Understanding clinic characteristics is crucial for assessing access to reproductive healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To update information on the structural characteristics of abortion clinics in the United States.
• To examine the relationship between clinic structural characteristics and the services, policies, and fees offered.
• To analyze the self-definition and geographic distribution of facilities providing abortion services.

Main Methods:

• A stratified random sample of 240 non-hospital abortion facilities was surveyed.
• Facilities surveyed were those providing 400 or more abortions in the United States in 1980.
• Data collected included clinic structure, services, policies, fees, and licensing status.

Main Results:

• Thirty-one percent of clinics operated as nonprofit or tax-exempt corporations, similar to for-profit clinics in patient volume and location.
• Twenty percent of facilities identified as physicians' offices, often located in the West with smaller caseloads and disproportionately in high-abortion-rate states.
• Two-thirds of clinics were licensed; licensed facilities had larger caseloads but did not differ in other measured characteristics. Fifty-four percent provided abortions after 12 weeks LMP, and 24 percent after 14 weeks LMP.

Conclusions:

• Clinic structure (nonprofit vs. for-profit, physician's office vs. clinic) influences operational characteristics and geographic distribution.
• Licensing is associated with larger caseloads, suggesting a potential correlation with established practice.
• A significant proportion of clinics offer later-term abortions, indicating the availability of services beyond the first trimester.