Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center

Completed Projects

Beyond Simple Ranking: Identifying and Empirically Testing Alternative Approaches for Recognizing Quality in Rural Hospitals
The purpose of this project is to explore several alternative methods for assessing the relative quality of hospitals using data from the Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration Project and Hospital Compare.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Hospitals and clinics, Quality

Hospitalizations of Rural Children for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions
This project uses state inpatient discharge data from six states, data from the Area Resource File and the AHRQ Pediatric Quality Indicators to examine Ambulatory Care Sensitive Condition admission rates for rural children.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Children, Chronic diseases and conditions

Impact of Health Insurance Coverage on Native Elder Health: Implications for Addressing the Health Care Needs of Rural American Indian Elders
This project examined the types of health insurance coverage of rural Native American elders ages 55 and older, and examine how different types of health insurance coverage and lack of health insurance coverage impact access to health care services among Native American elders by geographic location (rural frontier, rural non-frontier and urban).
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Aging, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Frontier health, Health insurance and the uninsured, Minority health, Rural statistics and demographics

Implementation of Telepharmacy in Rural Hospitals: Potential for Improving Medication Safety
The purpose of this project is to describe successful telepharmacy activities and to analyze policy issues related to the implementation of telepharmacy projects in rural hospitals. These policy issues include the potential impact of telepharmacy use on the quality of pharmaceutical services and medication safety for rural patients.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Hospitals and clinics, Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Quality, Telehealth

Pay-for-Performance and Quality Improvement in Rural Hospitals
This project will estimate the impact on rural hospitals in the U.S. of a pay-for-performance (PFP) program similar to the CMS-sponsored Premier, Inc. Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration; synthesize the major factors that will influence the inclusion of rural hospitals in PFP programs; and make recommendations for the design of PFP programs that will appropriately reward rural hospitals for improving quality.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Health care financing, Hospitals and clinics, Quality

Role of Rural Hospitals in Community-Centered Systems of Care: Supporting Population Health Improvement for Rural Communities
This project will assess the degree to which rural hospitals engage in activities that facilitate community responsiveness and the provision of community-oriented services, using 1996 to 2004 data from the American Hospital Association Annual Survey and the Area Resource File.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Health services, Hospitals and clinics

Rural Emergency Department Staffing: Implications for the Quality of Emergency Care Provided in Rural Areas
This project will describe emergency department (ED) staffing patterns in rural hospitals; determine how the certification, training, and experience of ED physicians and other providers in different ED staffing models vary; and assess the implications of rural ED staffing for the quality of emergency care in rural areas, continuity of care, and rural EDs’ role as safety net providers.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS), Hospitals and clinics, Quality, Workforce

Successful Implementation of Medication Safety Initiatives in Rural Hospitals: The Role of Pharmacists and Technology
This project will assess the capacity of rural hospitals to implement medication safety practices that reduce the likelihood of serious adverse drug events, and will identify factors that facilitate successful implementation of medication safety practices in rural hospitals.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Hospitals and clinics, Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Quality, Technology