Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center

Current Projects

Effect of Type and Timeliness of Post-Acute Care on Preventable Hospital Readmissions for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries
The purpose of this project is to: 1) determine how location of hospitals used for initial admissions by rural patients affects readmission rates; 2) assess how the use of swing beds affects rural patients' readmissions; and 3) examine the impact of the type and timeliness of post-acute care, including home health care, skilled nursing, and physician visits, on readmissions for rural patients.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Hospitals and clinics, Medicare

Has the Medicare Part D Program Improved Medication Access and the Health Status of Rural Beneficiaries?
This project will use Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey data to assess the impact of the Medicare Part D Program on medication access and the health status of rural Medicare beneficiaries.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Medicare Advantage (MA), Medicare Part D, Pharmacy and prescription drugs

Health Information Technology Implementation and Rural Hospital Outcomes
The purpose of this project is to measure the effect of health IT on quality outcomes in rural hospitals, including Critical Access Hospitals.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Critical Access Hospitals and Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, Health information technology, Hospitals and clinics, Technology

High Quality Rural Hospitals and Post-Acute Care Providers
This project will use several large longitudinal national databases to model alternative ways of identifying high quality rural hospitals, analyze factors related to quality in rural hospitals, and examine the relationship between the quality of care provided by rural hospitals and the quality of care provided by nursing homes and home health agencies within rural communities.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Hospitals and clinics, Quality

Impact of Hospitalists on Inpatient and Primary Care in Rural Communities
This project will analyze primary data from a survey of rural hospitals about their use of hospitalists along with several sources of secondary data to examine why and how hospitalists are being used in rural hospitals and the impact of their use.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topic: Hospitals and clinics

Progress Toward Meaningful Use of Health Information Technology Among Rural Physician Practices
This project will assess progress toward the meaningful use of health information technology among rural physician practices, using several sources of data. This empirical analysis will be supplemented by a qualitative assessment of rural physician practices’ experiences with the meaningful use of health IT, working with two quality improvement organizations (QIOs)/Regional Extension Centers (RECs).
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Health information technology, Physicians

Topics Centers Researchers Other Resources Search		Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center Current Projects Effect of Type and Timeliness of Post-Acute Care on Preventable Hospital Readmissions for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries The purpose of this project is to: 1) determine how location of hospitals used for initial admissions by rural patients affects readmission rates; 2) assess how the use of swing beds affects rural patients' readmissions; and 3) examine the impact of the type and timeliness of post-acute care, including home health care, skilled nursing, and physician visits, on readmissions for rural patients. Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Hospitals and clinics, Medicare Has the Medicare Part D Program Improved Medication Access and the Health Status of Rural Beneficiaries? This project will use Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey data to assess the impact of the Medicare Part D Program on medication access and the health status of rural Medicare beneficiaries. Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Medicare Advantage (MA), Medicare Part D, Pharmacy and prescription drugs Health Information Technology Implementation and Rural Hospital Outcomes The purpose of this project is to measure the effect of health IT on quality outcomes in rural hospitals, including Critical Access Hospitals. Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Critical Access Hospitals and Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, Health information technology, Hospitals and clinics, Technology High Quality Rural Hospitals and Post-Acute Care Providers This project will use several large longitudinal national databases to model alternative ways of identifying high quality rural hospitals, analyze factors related to quality in rural hospitals, and examine the relationship between the quality of care provided by rural hospitals and the quality of care provided by nursing homes and home health agencies within rural communities. Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Hospitals and clinics, Quality Impact of Hospitalists on Inpatient and Primary Care in Rural Communities This project will analyze primary data from a survey of rural hospitals about their use of hospitalists along with several sources of secondary data to examine why and how hospitalists are being used in rural hospitals and the impact of their use. Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topic: Hospitals and clinics Progress Toward Meaningful Use of Health Information Technology Among Rural Physician Practices This project will assess progress toward the meaningful use of health information technology among rural physician practices, using several sources of data. This empirical analysis will be supplemented by a qualitative assessment of rural physician practices’ experiences with the meaningful use of health IT, working with two quality improvement organizations (QIOs)/Regional Extension Centers (RECs). Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Health information technology, Physicians