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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare quality

Indian Health Service Hospitals: More Monitoring Needed to Ensure Quality Care
Explores concerns about inadequate healthcare quality provided in Indian Health Service (IHS) hospitals. Makes recommendations for implementing several oversight measures and identifies problem areas that will need to be addressed in order to improve healthcare quality in IHS hospitals. See companion report: Indian Health Service Hospitals: Longstanding Challenges Warrant Focused Attention to Support Quality Care. Focuses on challenges related to quality reporting, Area Office vacancies, and health information technology.
Date: 10/2016
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Indian Health Service Hospitals: Longstanding Challenges Warrant Focused Attention to Support Quality Care
Study completed in response to concerns over inadequate quality of care being provided in Indian Health Service (IHS) hospitals. Included in the report are findings from a series of leadership and staff interviews, questionnaires, and document reviews. Recommendations for improving quality of care are made to IHS and the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Additional recommendations for improving quality through oversight measures can be found in the companion report: Indian Health Service Hospitals: More Monitoring Needed to Ensure Quality Care Addresses healthcare access difficulties, health workforce challenges, and more.
Date: 10/2016
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Adequacy of EMS Systems of Care Protocols for Adults with OHCA, STEMI & Stroke in Oregon: A Structured Review
Examines the emergency medical services (EMS) treatment protocols practiced in ambulance agencies in Oregon. Focuses on how they align with evidence-based practices for EMS treatment for adult patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), STEMI (ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction), and stroke. Includes rural/urban comparisons.
Additional links: Executive Report
Author(s): Paul S. Rostykus
Date: 10/2016
Sponsoring organization: Oregon Office of Rural Health
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North Sunflower Medical Center Successfully Addressing Chronic Care Management
Documents North Sunflower Medical Center's (NSMC) progress as part of the Small Rural Hospital Transition (SRHT) project, particularly in the areas of discharge planning and follow-up, placing patients in the correct level of care, and chronic disease management. NSMC is a 25-bed Critical Access Hospital located in Ruleville, Mississippi.
Date: 09/2016
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Variation in the Rate of Cesarean Section Across U.S. Hospitals, 2013
Provides data on the rate of total and low-risk C-sections across U.S. hospitals in 2013, looking at variations in C-section rates by hospital characteristics. Figure 3 provides data for metropolitan, micropolitan, and rural hospitals.
Author(s): Kamila Mistry, Kathryn R. Fingar, Anne Elixhauser
Date: 09/2016
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Emergency Transport of Stroke Suspects in a Rural State: Opportunities for Improvement
Examines transport time and destinations for stroke suspects in Arkansas. Focuses on transportation to facilities that commonly provide acute stroke therapy and offers recommendations for emergency medical service agencies.
Author(s): Aliza T. Brown, Feifei Wei, William C. Culp, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 34(8), 1640-1644
Date: 08/2016
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Surgical Care Improvement Project Measures among Rural and Urban Hospitals in West Virginia
Reviews data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) from 10 rural community hospitals in West Virginia to determine the quality of surgical care given by rural providers. Data reported was compared to a set of process measures demonstrating the rates of surgical morbidity and mortality, surgical site infections, and other complications following surgery.
Author(s): Yuya K. Kudo, Linda V. Davis, Dustin M. Long, John C. Honaker, Don K. Nakayama
Citation: American Surgeon, 82(1), E20-E22
Date: 08/2016
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Marcum & Wallace Memorial Hospital Successfully Impacts Project Outcomes
Highlights the progress of Kentucky's Marcum and Wallace Memorial Hospital as they worked through the Small Rural Hospital Transition (SRHT) project in 2015. By participating in the SRHT project, Marcum & Wallace was able to make significant improvements to emergency department operations, swing bed services, 340B usage, and more.
Date: 08/2016
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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2016 Rural Provider Leadership Summit Report: Strategies for Rural Provider Engagement in Transitioning to Value-based Purchasing and Population Health
Explores issues related to value models for rural providers and provides strategies rural hospitals may use to overcome challenges and enhance staff collaboration. Includes a list of rural provider leadership tools and resources.
Author(s): Karla Weng
Date: 08/2016
Sponsoring organizations: National Rural Health Resource Center, Technical Assistance and Services Center
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What Works? Strategies to Improve Rural Health
A guide for rural community health improvement. Explains how to find strategies that are likely to be effective. Identifies interventions related to health behaviors, healthcare access and quality, social and economic factors, and the physical environment.
Date: 07/2016
Sponsoring organization: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
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