Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Hospitals

Value-Based Purchasing Demonstrations for Critical Access and Small PPS Hospitals
White paper discussing the expanded quality reporting programs for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and hospitals excluded from the inpatient Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) program due to a low number of cases. Includes recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on the rural implications from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provision on inpatient hospital VBP program.
Date: 09/2011
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Will Bundling Work in Rural America? Analysis of the Feasibility and Consequences of Bundled Payments for Rural Health Providers and Patients
Assesses how bundled payments may affect both healthcare quality and access among rural providers, and explains the financial and operational challenges associated with implementing bundled payments in low-volume providers such as Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).
Author(s): Robert Town, Walter Gregg, Ira Moscovice, Shailendra Prasad, Jill Klingner
Date: 09/2011
Sponsoring organization: Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
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Estimating the Economic Impact of Telemedicine in a Rural Community
Reports on site visits to 24 rural hospitals in the Midwest to develop a methodology for estimating the economic impact of telemedicine on a rural community.
Author(s): Brian E. Whitacre
Citation: Agricultural and Resource Economics, 40(2), 172-183
Date: 08/2011
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Quality of Care and Patient Outcomes in Critical Access Hospitals
Compares quality of care and patient outcomes for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and non-CAHs using national data from 2008 and 2009.
Author(s): Karen E. Joynt, Yael Harris, E. John Orav, Ashish K. Jha
Citation: JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, 306(1), 45-52
Date: 07/2011
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Trends in the Provision of Surgery by Rural Hospitals
Examines changes in the number of rural hospitals that provided surgery between 2001 and 2008. Shows results based on hospital location and Medicare payment classification.
Author(s): George M. Holmes, Saleema A. Karim, George H. Pink
Date: 07/2011
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Emergency Department Visits in Rural and Non-Rural Community Hospitals, 2008
Presents data on the use of EDs in rural areas from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS). The information focuses on patient and hospital characteristics of rural and non-rural emergency department visits in the United States in 2008.
Author(s): Anika Hines, Taressa Fraze, Carol Stocks
Date: 06/2011
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Evidence-Based Pneumonia Quality Improvement Programs and Strategies in Critical Access Hospitals
Discusses several quality improvement (QI) strategies that have been shown to improve pneumonia care and may be replicable in Critical Access Hospital (CAHs). Includes a reference table to help in determining which strategies may be useful for implementation in hospitals.
Author(s): Michelle Casey, Jill Klingner, Shailendra Prasad, Walter Gregg, Ira Moscovice
Date: 06/2011
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Improving Hospital Patient Safety Through Teamwork: The Use of TeamSTEPPS in Critical Access Hospitals
Provides information on how state Flex programs and Critical Access Hospital (CAHs) have successfully adapted and used TeamSTEPPS to improve patient safety through team training.
Author(s): Andrew Coburn, Zach Gage-Croll
Date: 06/2011
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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The Rockcastle Project: A Case Study of Interprofessional Clinical Education and Practice in a Rural Medical Center
Describes a pilot project regarding an interprofessional, evidence-based learning experience for students in three disciplines during a four-week period in a rural hospital in Kentucky.
Author(s): Dana Howell, Lynn English, Judith Page
Citation: Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice, 9(2)
Date: 04/2011
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Trends in Skilled Nursing Facility and Swing Bed Use in Rural Areas Following the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003
Provides descriptive evidence on current trends in the availability and use of swing beds and skilled nursing facility services in rural areas.
Additional links: Findings Brief
Author(s): Kristin L. Reiter, Victoria A. Freeman
Date: 04/2011
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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