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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare quality

Observation Care Services for Medicare Beneficiaries in Rural Hospitals: Policy Issues and Stakeholder Perspectives
Seeks to provide a greater understanding of rural-specific issues surrounding hospital outpatient observation status and the related implications for rural hospitals, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), and Medicare beneficiaries. Results are based on a multi-state, qualitative analysis of input from three respondent groups: state hospital associations, long-term care ombudsman offices, and Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs). Analysis focuses on the use of observation status by Medicare beneficiaries from 2010-2013.
Author(s): Walter Gregg, Samantha Mills, Yvonne Jonk
Date: 10/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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National Advisory Committee on Rural Health & Human Services Meeting Minutes, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, September 24-26, 2014
Provides a summary of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services meeting in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Discusses rural-specific aspects of intimate partner violence and the ways telehealth can help improve healthcare access, quality, and value.
Date: 09/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Geographic Variation in Potentially Preventable Hospitalizations for Acute and Chronic Conditions, 2005-2011
Examines potentially preventable hospitalizations for adults from 2005 to 2011. Includes data for acute and chronic conditions by location of patient residence for large and small metropolitan, micropolitan, and remote rural areas.
Author(s): Celeste M. Torio , Roxanne M. Andrews
Date: 09/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Controlling Hypertension: Focusing on "Why" Makes "How" a Lot Easier
Overview of a quality improvement project initiated by a group of 5 small rural practices and designed to improve the outcomes of patients with hypertension.
Author(s): Jennifer L. Brull
Citation: Family Practice Management, 21(5), 23-27
Date: 09/2014
Type: Document
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Hospital Quality: Tough Issue!
Discusses whether quality measures and patients' wishes may be at odds, and how that affects the perception of whether rural hospitals provide quality care.
Author(s): Wayne Myers
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 08/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Buncombe County, NC: 2014 Culture of Health Prize Winner
Describes how Buncombe County Health and Human Services of North Carolina collaborated with community stakeholders including the local chamber of commerce, YMCA, healthcare professionals, and transportation experts to create a Public Health Advisory Council. The Council along with individuals, families, and local leaders supported healthy living initiatives by encouraging physicians to address obesity and asthma, reducing exposure to secondhand smoke in multi-unit housing, encouraging the purchase of healthy foods, and improving healthcare quality for children with special needs. Buncombe County is a recipient of the 2014 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health Prize.
Date: 06/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System, June 2014
Includes chapters on synchronizing Medicare policy across payment models; improving risk adjustment; measuring quality of care; financial assistance for low-income beneficiaries; per beneficiary payment for primary care; site-neutral payments for select conditions treated in inpatient rehabilitation facilities and skilled nursing facilities; and measuring the effects of medication adherence for the Medicare population. Mentions rural throughout.
Date: 06/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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New Models for Rural Post-Acute Care: Critical Access Hospitals Optimize Patient Outcomes, Value, and Financial Stability
Reports on the Transitional and Ventilator Care Model, which provided transitional Ventilator Care and increased utilization of swing beds in Critical Access Hospitals, helping them expand their service offerings, reduce readmissions, and improve their finances. Addresses the program's initial success and expansion to 11 CAHs in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Requires name, email address, and organization information to download.
Author(s): Mark Lindsay, Karl Palmer, Terry Hill, et al.
Date: 05/2014
Type: Document
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Pediatric Emergency Care Capabilities of Indian Health Service Emergency Medical Service Agencies Serving American Indians/Alaska Natives in Rural and Frontier Areas
Analyzes the Indian Health Service's (IHS) emergency medical services (EMS) agencies providing services for children. Discusses the importance of EMS services for healthcare access and challenges IHS EMS agencies face.
Author(s): Andrea L. Genovesi, Betty Hastings, Elizabeth A. Edgerton, Lenora Olson
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 14(2), 2688
Date: 05/2014
Type: Document
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Project ECHO: Bridging the Gap in Health Care for Rural and Underserved Communities
Discusses the Project ECHO model and how it allows physicians, nurse practitioners, and other clinicians to jointly manage complex illness and promotes the use of best practices in care, while enabling patients to receive treatment in their rural communities.
Date: 04/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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