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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare quality

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
Type: Document
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
Type: Document
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Rural Hospital Toolkit for Transitioning to Value-based Systems
Toolkit developed to help rural hospitals improve their financial, operational, and quality performance. Shares best practices and strategies to help rural providers transition to value-based payment and population health.
Date: 09/2015
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Post-discharge Rehabilitation Care Delivery for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries with Stroke
Discusses the factors associated with post-discharge rehabilitation care (PDRC) that influence the recovery and quality of life for rural stroke survivors receiving Medicare. Factors highlighted include distance to healthcare, type of rehabilitation, initial hospital admission, and patient race/ethnicity.
Additional links: Fact Sheet
Author(s): Jessica D. Bellinger, Zhimin Chen, Saundra Glover, et al.
Date: 09/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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Small Rural Hospital Transition (SRHT) Project Guide: A Guide for Rural Hospitals to Identify Populations and Shift to Population Health
Helps hospital management teams recognize specific patient populations associated with a higher percentage of total healthcare expenditures and helps hospitals focus their programs on these population groups to improve quality of care, healthcare outcomes, and reduce healthcare costs. Serves as a resource for State Offices of Rural Health directors and Flex Program coordinators to help rural hospitals with transition efforts to value-based payment models.
Date: 09/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: National Rural Health Resource Center, Stroudwater Associates
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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
Type: Document
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
Type: Document
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
Type: Document
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
Type: Document
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Peer Coaches to Improve Diabetes Outcomes in Rural Alabama: A Cluster Randomized Trial
Discusses the results of a study comparing the effects of peer-coaching intervention that includes brief education versus brief education alone on diabetes patients living in under resourced settings of rural Alabama.
Author(s): Monika M. Safford, Susan Andreae, Andrea L. Cherrington, et al.
Citation: Annals of Family Medicine, 13(Suppl 1), S18–S26
Date: 08/2015
Type: Document
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