Rural Healthcare Quality – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Healthcare Quality.
With New EMS Quality Measures, Florida Aims to Have a National Impact on Rural Care
Features the Feasible, Actionable, Impactful and Relevant (FAIR) EMS Measurement Project, an initiative by the Florida Department of Health which developed rural-relevant EMS quality measures for use in the state and nationally.
Author(s): Gretel Kauffman
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Features the Feasible, Actionable, Impactful and Relevant (FAIR) EMS Measurement Project, an initiative by the Florida Department of Health which developed rural-relevant EMS quality measures for use in the state and nationally.
Author(s): Gretel Kauffman
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Calculation of Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings With and Without Inclusion of the Peer Grouping Step
Examines potential implications of including a peer grouping step in the calculation of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Overall Star Ratings. Uses January 2023 Medicare Care Compare data on 3,076 hospitals that received a star rating to calculate the peer groups based on the number of quality measure groups for which hospitals had 3 or more reported measures. Presents data on the characteristics of each peer group, the distribution of star ratings whether the peer grouping step was used or not used, and the number of hospitals with a higher, lower, or identical star rating when the peer grouping step was applied. Compares data by hospital characteristics, including safety-net status, Critical Access Hospital status, rural or urban location, and more.
Author(s): Cameron J. Gettel, Kyle Bagshaw, Li Qin, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 7(5), e2411933
Date: 05/2024
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Examines potential implications of including a peer grouping step in the calculation of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Overall Star Ratings. Uses January 2023 Medicare Care Compare data on 3,076 hospitals that received a star rating to calculate the peer groups based on the number of quality measure groups for which hospitals had 3 or more reported measures. Presents data on the characteristics of each peer group, the distribution of star ratings whether the peer grouping step was used or not used, and the number of hospitals with a higher, lower, or identical star rating when the peer grouping step was applied. Compares data by hospital characteristics, including safety-net status, Critical Access Hospital status, rural or urban location, and more.
Author(s): Cameron J. Gettel, Kyle Bagshaw, Li Qin, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 7(5), e2411933
Date: 05/2024
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Quality in Motion: Acting on the CMS National Quality Strategy
Provides an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 2022 National Quality Strategy (NQS). Describes actions CMS has taken to meet the eight NQS goals across four priority areas: outcomes and alignment, equity and engagement, safety and resiliency, and interoperability and scientific achievement. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Provides an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 2022 National Quality Strategy (NQS). Describes actions CMS has taken to meet the eight NQS goals across four priority areas: outcomes and alignment, equity and engagement, safety and resiliency, and interoperability and scientific achievement. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Rural Health Research Recap: Quality Star Ratings: Hospitals, Skilled Nursing Facilities, and Home Health Agencies
Examines the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating system among hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and home health agencies in 2021 and 2022. Features statistics including number of rural hospitals without a star rating with breakdowns by census region, and percentage of hospitals without star rating, with breakdowns by urban or rural location.
Author(s): Per Ostmo
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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Examines the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating system among hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and home health agencies in 2021 and 2022. Features statistics including number of rural hospitals without a star rating with breakdowns by census region, and percentage of hospitals without star rating, with breakdowns by urban or rural location.
Author(s): Per Ostmo
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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Pre-COVID-19 Hospital Quality and Hospital Response to COVID-19: Examining Associations Between Risk-adjusted Mortality for Patients Hospitalised with COVID-19 and Pre-COVID-19 Hospital Quality
Examines whether pre-pandemic hospital quality was associated with in-hospital and 30-day mortality rates among Medicare patients hospitalized with COVID-19 from April 1, 2020, through September 30, 2021. Explores the relationship between COVID-19 outcomes and hospital COVID-19 burden. Compares pre-pandemic hospital quality and COVID-19 outcomes by hospital characteristics, including urban/rural location and Critical Access Hospital status.
Author(s): Doris Peter, Shu-Xia Li, Yongfei Wang, et al.
Citation: BMJ Open, 14(3), e077394
Date: 03/2024
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Examines whether pre-pandemic hospital quality was associated with in-hospital and 30-day mortality rates among Medicare patients hospitalized with COVID-19 from April 1, 2020, through September 30, 2021. Explores the relationship between COVID-19 outcomes and hospital COVID-19 burden. Compares pre-pandemic hospital quality and COVID-19 outcomes by hospital characteristics, including urban/rural location and Critical Access Hospital status.
Author(s): Doris Peter, Shu-Xia Li, Yongfei Wang, et al.
Citation: BMJ Open, 14(3), e077394
Date: 03/2024
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2023 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report: Chartbook on Patient Safety
Summarizes trends in healthcare quality across 28 measures of patient safety. Presents findings for four settings of care: ambulatory care, home health, hospitals, and nursing homes. Highlights differences in maternal morbidity and mortality measures by rurality.
Author(s): Barbara Barton, Darryl Gray, Cecilia Hahn, et al.
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Summarizes trends in healthcare quality across 28 measures of patient safety. Presents findings for four settings of care: ambulatory care, home health, hospitals, and nursing homes. Highlights differences in maternal morbidity and mortality measures by rurality.
Author(s): Barbara Barton, Darryl Gray, Cecilia Hahn, et al.
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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2024 National Impact Assessment of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Measures Report
Evaluates the quality measures used across 26 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) quality reporting programs. Explores whether quality measure scores during the COVID-19 public health emergency (2020-2021) differed from expected trends. Analyzes how urban and rural residents performed at a national level in order to inform future quality measure development. Provides statistics concerning participation and performance within Medicare quality reporting programs, including statistics specific to rural populations and facilities.
Additional links: Appendices ZIP File
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Evaluates the quality measures used across 26 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) quality reporting programs. Explores whether quality measure scores during the COVID-19 public health emergency (2020-2021) differed from expected trends. Analyzes how urban and rural residents performed at a national level in order to inform future quality measure development. Provides statistics concerning participation and performance within Medicare quality reporting programs, including statistics specific to rural populations and facilities.
Additional links: Appendices ZIP File
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review Measures Under Consideration: 2023 Recommendations Report
Reviews the 42 pre-rulemaking quality measures the Battelle's Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) considered during the 2023-2024 Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review (PRMR) cycle. Discusses measures for clinician, hospital, and post-acute care/long-term care programs. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Date: 02/2024
Sponsoring organization: Partnership for Quality Measurement
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Reviews the 42 pre-rulemaking quality measures the Battelle's Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) considered during the 2023-2024 Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review (PRMR) cycle. Discusses measures for clinician, hospital, and post-acute care/long-term care programs. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Date: 02/2024
Sponsoring organization: Partnership for Quality Measurement
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Value-Based Care Assessment Tool
Online tool that assesses 80 different value-based care capacities in eight categories and creates a value-based care readiness report that can be used to support strategic planning. Tool is designed to be used by your healthcare organization's senior leadership team.
Date: 02/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Online tool that assesses 80 different value-based care capacities in eight categories and creates a value-based care readiness report that can be used to support strategic planning. Tool is designed to be used by your healthcare organization's senior leadership team.
Date: 02/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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End-Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices (ETC) Model: Second Annual Evaluation Report
Evaluation of the End-Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices (ETC) Model, incorporating analyses of home dialysis use, transplantation, acute care hospitalizations, outpatient ED visits, and hospital readmissions. Features results from interviews and surveys involving model participants and beneficiaries, and examines impacts of the ETC Model during calendar years 2021 and 2022. Includes facility-level statistics with breakdowns by urban and rural areas.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance
Author(s): Brighita Negrusa, Jennifer Wiens, Darin Ullman, et al.
Date: 01/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, The Lewin Group
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Evaluation of the End-Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices (ETC) Model, incorporating analyses of home dialysis use, transplantation, acute care hospitalizations, outpatient ED visits, and hospital readmissions. Features results from interviews and surveys involving model participants and beneficiaries, and examines impacts of the ETC Model during calendar years 2021 and 2022. Includes facility-level statistics with breakdowns by urban and rural areas.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance
Author(s): Brighita Negrusa, Jennifer Wiens, Darin Ullman, et al.
Date: 01/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, The Lewin Group
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Last Updated: 9/2/2025