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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare quality

Medical-Legal Partnership Addresses Social Determinants of Health
Explores how FirstHealth of the Carolinas, a private, nonprofit healthcare network based in Pinehurst, North Carolina, reduced emergency department utilization and hospital readmission rates systemwide through the use of transitional care clinics (TCCs) and medical-legal partnerships (MLPs). Highlights how addressing non-medical factors can affect health outcomes.
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Advances in Patient Safety and Medical Liability
Explains the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ) Patient Safety and Medical Liability (PSML) Initiative, and shares contributions and findings from the PSML planning and demonstration grant projects. Includes two commentaries and nine papers organized around two main themes: improving communication and improving patient safety. Rural-specific considerations discussed throughout.
Author(s): James Battles, Irim Azam, Mary Grady, Kathryn Reback
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Coteau des Prairies Keeping Services Close to Home
Follows South Dakota-based Coteau des Prairies Health System's (CDP) progress as part of the Small Rural Hospital Transition (SRHT) project. CDP completed a financial operational assessment (FOA) with the goal of positioning the hospital for future financial success. Primary areas of improvement include revenue cycle management, HCAHPS scores, executive communication, and swing bed utilization.
Additional links: One-Page Summary
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Value-Based Strategic Planning Guide: 2017 Rural Hospital Value-Based Strategy Summit
Customizable strategy resources to help small and rural hospital leaders develop, manage, measure, and implement their strategic plans. Templates focus on preparing rural hospitals to transition to value-based care and population health.
Additional links: Balanced Scorecard Template, Strategy Map Template
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Creating a Framework to Support Measure Development for Telehealth
Reports on efforts intended to advance telehealth quality measurement by developers, researchers, analysts, and other members of the healthcare community. Includes case studies of several programs geared toward patients in rural areas.
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Quality Forum
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Providing Patient-Centered Enhanced Discharge Planning and Rural Transition Support: Building a Rural Transitions Network Between Regional Referral and Critical Access Hospitals
Details manual procedures used in Western Montana to develop a model to improve the likelihood of a good recovery for patients and decreasing chances of re-hospitalization. Includes a guide to ethical considerations in discharge and rural transition planning.
Author(s): Tom Seekins, Heidi Boehm, Jennifer Wong, Linda Yearous, AnnaJean Smith
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Montana: Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities
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Health Disparities in Appalachia
Measures population health in Appalachia and explores disparities within the region and between Appalachia and the country as a whole. Features statistics on mortality, morbidity, behavioral health, child health, community characteristics, lifestyle, healthcare systems, quality of care, and social determinants, with breakdowns between urban and rural areas.
Author(s): Julie L. Marshall, Logan Thomas, Nancy M. Lane, et al.
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Appalachian Regional Commission, PDA, Inc., The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
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Magnolia Regional Medical Center Excels as a Hospital in Transition
Documents Magnolia Regional Medical Center's (MRMC) top accomplishments after participating in the Small Rural Hospital Transition (SRHT) project and completing a financial operational assessment (FOA). Major areas of improvement include net income, net patient revenue, days cash on hand, swing bed utilization, and overall quality ratings.
Date: 07/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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2016 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
Provides a comprehensive summary and data analysis of the quality of and access to healthcare received in the U.S. and discusses the disparities encountered by different racial and ethnic groups, and by geographic locations.
Date: 07/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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How Western Kentucky Leveraged Medicaid Expansion to Increase Access to Health Care
Describes improvements in healthcare access and quality in Paducah and nearby counties from 2011-2014, when almost 500,000 people were added to the Medicaid rolls. Includes demographic statistics, difference in health system rank from 2012 to 2016, and map showing locations of 9 clinics that have opened or expanded during that time.
Author(s): Sarah Klein, Martha Hostetter, Douglas McCarthy
Date: 07/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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