Rural Healthcare Quality – Resources

Leveraging Quality Measurement to Improve Rural Health: Final Environmental Scan - Rural Core Measure Set
Presents the results of an environmental scan of changes in healthcare quality measures since 2017. Provides an overview of updates to the existing core measure set and identifies potential measures for addition based on rural-relevant topics and emerging issues. Highlights emerging areas of rural-relevant quality measurement.
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Quality Forum
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Rural Health Quality: How CMS Initiatives Improve How We Measure and Address Gaps in Care
Recording of an April 2022 webinar regarding healthcare quality measurement in rural areas. Discusses measurement challenges in rural areas and how CMS is working to mitigate these issues. Presents resources and programs for rural providers to improve healthcare quality. Transcript is available by clicking the three dots above the video description, then selecting Show Transcript.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 04/2022
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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The Codes of Care: How Words and Numbers Have Transformative Power for Rural Healthcare
Describes the process of translating clinical documentation into medical codes and the impact coding has on healthcare quality and population health. Highlights coding issues specific to rural settings. Also discusses graduate medical education efforts addressing clinical documentation and medical coding.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Digital Quality Measurement Strategic Roadmap
Discusses how the interoperability of healthcare data from electronic health records can improve Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) quality measurement systems. Provides an overview of Outlines actions in four domains - improving data quality, advancing technology, optimizing data aggregation, and enabling alignment of measures - to advance digital quality measurement.
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Quality of Home Health Agencies Serving Rural Medicare Beneficiaries
Describes a study examining the quality of home health agencies (HHAs) that serve rural beneficiaries, based on ratings from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services star rating system. Features statistics including characteristics of HHAs, patient care ratings, and patient experience ratings in 2018 by rural-serving status.
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Quality of Skilled Nursing Facilities Serving Rural Medicare Beneficiaries
Policy paper describing a study examining the quality of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) that serve rural beneficiaries, based on ratings from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services star rating system. Features statistics including characteristics of SNFs, overall star ratings, and staff star ratings in 2018 by rural-serving status.
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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High-Performing Rural Health System
Update to the September 2011 RUPRI Health Panel document "The High Performance Rural Health Care System of the Future." Describes affordable and accessible healthcare for all rural residents through a sustainable system delivering high quality, high value services. Defines pillars of accessibility, affordability, community health, and quality.
Author(s): Andrew Coburn, Alva O. Ferdinand, Alana Knudson, et al.
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Quality Improvement Resources for Rural Health Care Organizations
Lists prominent organizations, learning resources, and programs related to healthcare quality improvement and provides a short list of recommended reading. Designed for healthcare professionals who are new to the field.
Date: 12/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Stratis Health
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Rural Telehealth and Healthcare System Readiness Measurement Framework: Final Report
Presents a performance measurement framework to guide quality and performance improvement for healthcare services delivered via telehealth in rural areas in response to disasters. Covers five domains — access to care and technology; costs, business models, and logistics; experience; effectiveness; and equity — rural-specific measurement issues, and potential solutions. Includes recommendations for rural telehealth measurement for time-sensitive emergencies, public health emergencies, and disasters.
Date: 11/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Quality Forum
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Medicare: Information on the Transition to Alternative Payment Models by Providers in Rural, Health Professional Shortage, or Underserved Areas
Describes the participation of providers in rural and health professional shortage areas in Advanced APMs from 2017 through 2019. Discusses challenges providers in rural, shortage, and underserved areas face in transitioning to APMs, as well as actions CMS takes to help these providers transition to APMs. Includes data by practice and provider type.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 11/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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