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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare quality

Delivery System Reform and Implications for Rural Communities
Policy brief discussing how rural healthcare providers can benefit from participating in delivery system reform (DSR) to be able to continue providing accessible, quality health services. Offers recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, such as requiring rural healthcare providers to participate in CMS quality programs and having CMS incorporate rural-relevant quality measures that are appropriate for rural healthcare providers.
Date: 12/2015
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Critical Access Hospital-Relevant Measures for Health System Development and Population Health
Describes performance measures for assessing health system development and population health in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Discusses how the measures can help CAHs and other stakeholders benchmark and improve performance.
Author(s): John Gale, Andrew Coburn, Zach Croll
Date: 12/2015
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Characteristics and Quality of Inpatient Stays at Hospitals Affiliated with Health Systems, 2009-2012
Compares hospitals in centrally organized multihospital systems, noncentralized systems, and independent hospitals. Looks at rural-urban location, region, bed size, other hospital and patient characteristics, and mortality rates for selected conditions.
Author(s): Brian Moore, Zeynal Karaca, Rachel Mosher Henke, Herbert Wong
Date: 12/2015
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Rural Hospital and Physician Participation in Private Sector Quality Initiatives
Results of a study to analyze 12 quality reporting and quality improvement programs being used by dominant insurers in Alabama, Kansas, Michigan, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Utah, between 2011 and 2013.
Author(s): Amanda Diehl, Michelle Casey, Alex Evenson
Date: 10/2015
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Hospital Value-based Purchasing: Initial Results Show Modest Effects on Medicare Payments and No Apparent Change in Quality-of-Care Trends
Evaluates the initial effects of the Hospital Value-based Purchasing (HVBP) program on Medicare bonus payments and penalties, the quality of care provided, and selected quality improvement efforts during FY 2013-15. Analyzes data from safety net, small urban, and small rural hospitals.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 10/2015
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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A Cross-Sectional Study on Health Differences Between Rural and Non-Rural U.S. Counties Using the County Health Rankings
Examines the rural and urban differences in health and healthcare within the U.S. using data accessed from the 2013 County Health Rankings and Roadmaps. Vital health factors evaluated include mortality, morbidity, health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors, and the physical environment.
Author(s): Timothy J. Anderson, Daniel M. Saman, Martin S. Lipsky, M. Nawal Lutfiyya
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 15, 441
Date: 10/2015
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Performance Measurement for Rural Low-Volume Providers: Final Report
Identifies challenges to measuring healthcare performance among low-volume rural providers, and presents recommendations to meet these challenges. Primary focus is on finding appropriate quality measures for use within Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) pay-for-performance programs and encouraging rural participation in CMS quality improvement initiatives.
Date: 09/2015
Sponsoring organization: National Quality Forum
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Evidence-Based Programs and Strategies for Reducing Healthcare-Associated Infections in Critical Access Hospitals
Highlights successful, evidence-based programs and approaches that Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) may use to curb healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).
Author(s): Michelle Casey, Shailendra Prasad, Emma Distel, Alex Evenson
Date: 09/2015
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Reporting of Healthcare-Associated Infections by Critical Access Hospitals
Describes state requirements for reporting healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and the implications for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Also analyzes HAI data reported by CAHs via Hospital Compare.
Author(s): Michelle Casey, Emma Distel, Alex Evenson, Shailendra Prasad, Peiyin Hung
Date: 09/2015
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Variations in Guideline-Concordant Breast Cancer Adjuvant Therapy in Rural Georgia
Results of a study of 844 women from rural southwest Georgia who were diagnosed with primary, invasive, early-stage breast cancer between 2001 and 2003, and who received guideline-concordant adjuvant therapy within the study region. Features statistics including breakdowns by age, race, marital status, insurance status, socioeconomic status, rural status, and number of comorbid conditions.
Author(s): Gery P. Guy, Joseph Lipscomb, Theresa W. Gillespie, et al.
Citation: Health Services Research, 50(4), 1088-1108
Date: 08/2015
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