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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare quality

Healthy Women, Healthy Pregnancies, Healthy Futures: Action Plan to Improve Maternal Health in America
Action plan outlining steps the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is taking to reduce maternal mortality and address disparities that endanger women before, during, and following pregnancy. Four main goals include: improving prevention and treatment services to promote positive health outcomes for every woman of reproductive age; prioritizing quality improvement efforts to support healthy pregnancies and births; improving postpartum health; and enhancing data and research to inform future interventions. Includes data and statistics on maternal health and morbidity, and addresses rural considerations throughout.
Author(s): Dawn Alley, Andre Chappel, Nancy De Lew, et al.
Date: 12/2020
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Implementation of Antibiotic Stewardship Activities in Critical Access Hospitals
Recording of a November 18, 2020, webinar that covers the implementation of antibiotic stewardship (AS) activities. Discusses the 2019 National Healthcare Safety Network Survey results and examines challenges Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) face reporting and implementing AS measures. Provides practical suggestions for improving AS activities in CAHs. Transcript available in the video description.
Date: 11/2020
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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Frontier Community Health Integration Project (FCHIP) Demonstration Evaluation: Final Evaluation Report
Presents findings from an evaluation of the Frontier Community Health Integration Project (FCHIP) Demonstration. Describes the three possible interventions, including their impact, progress and accomplishments, challenges, and lessons learned. Identifies commonalities that emerged across the FCHIP interventions that may inform future demonstrations among rural healthcare providers.
Additional links: Findings At-A-Glance
Date: 11/2020
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RTI International
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Ensuring Health Across Rural Minnesota in 2030
Offers recommendations to policymakers and stakeholders on how to expand access to high-quality and inexpensive healthcare for rural communities in Minnesota. Covers trends in factors that may affect rural health, such as increased diversity, older populations, higher healthcare costs, lack of broadband, closures of healthcare facilities, and more. Discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated issues in rural communities.
Date: 11/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Health Care Delivery System Reform: Six Policy Imperatives
Presents six recommendations for healthcare delivery system reform in order to improve quality, advance equity, and increase the affordability of healthcare in the United States. Includes specific policy recommendations for small and rural providers throughout.
Date: 11/2020
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Chartbook on Healthcare for Veterans
Explores the disparities in access to, and healthcare received by, veterans. Describes disparities between veterans and non-veterans, within the veteran population, and among users of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Includes rural-urban comparisons throughout.
Date: 11/2020
Sponsoring organizations: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
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Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Environmental Scan
Reports on an environmental scan to define maternal morbidity and identify risk factors, processes, and innovations relevant to maternal morbidity and mortality care delivery and measurement. Discusses rurality as a factor influencing maternal health outcomes.
Date: 11/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Quality Forum
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Computerized Capability of Office-Based Physicians to Identify Patients Who Need Preventive or Follow-up Care — United States, 2017
Examines the capability among U.S. office-based physicians to provide electronic reminders to decrease missed care. Includes data for metropolitan and nonmetro areas.
Author(s): Damon F. Ogburn, Brian W. Ward, Alicia Ward
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(44), 1622-1624
Date: 11/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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ACEP Rural Emergency Care Task Force 2020: Report to the ACEP Board of Directors
Final report of the American College of Emergency Physicians' 2020 Rural Emergency Care Task Force. Addresses objectives and offers recommendations for developing strategies to support the current rural emergency department (ED) workforce, promote training, facilitate use of telemedicine, and improve quality of patient care. Features statistics on characteristics of hospitals in rural areas, and includes information on typical rural ED hospital practice environments in areas with 6 levels of population density.
Date: 10/2020
Sponsoring organization: American College of Emergency Physicians
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Volume to Value Transition for Rural Health Systems
Policy position paper providing an overview of the transition from volume-based payment models to value-based payment models. Identifies opportunities and barriers to rural healthcare success in value-based payment models. Presents policy recommendations to promote rural healthcare facility participation in value-based payment models.
Author(s): Kim Breidenbach, Tammy Moore
Date: 10/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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