Kevin Bennett, PhD

South Carolina Rural Health Research Center

Phone: 803.251.6317
E-mail: Kevin.Bennett@sc.edu

Current Projects (3)

Intensity of Service Provision for Medicare Beneficiaries Utilizing Home Health Services
Research center: South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Home health, Medicare
This study will assess whether Medicare beneficiaries in rural areas receive a lower intensity of home health (HH) services compared to their urban counterparts. Specifically, the study will examine (1) the distribution of levels of HH services for four conditions: joint (hip and knee) replacement, stroke, end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and diabetes; (2) the distribution of type of provider for each condition across the levels of rurality; and (3) the median charge and payment per beneficiary for these services across the levels of rurality.

Post-Hospital Transitions in Care Among Dually-Eligible Medicare Beneficiaries
Research center: South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Health policy, Hospitals and clinics, Medicare
This project will examine the hospitalization rates, post-discharge physician follow-up, and subsequent readmission rates among Medicare beneficiaries who are also enrolled in Medicaid. We will examine these dual-eligible beneficiaries by level of rurality to determine if residence is a significant factor in these rates. We will also control for co-morbidities, county characteristics, and other factors related to readmission rates.

Rural and Urban Differences in Case-Mix Among Recipients of Home Health Care
Research center: South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Health disparities, Home health, Medicare
We will examine current patient case-mix for the Medicare population receiving skilled health care from a home health agency to determine if there are rural or race/ethnicity-based disparities with regards to receipt of services and clinical acuity indicators.

Completed Projects (1)

Transitions in Care for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries with Diabetes
Research center: South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Health disparities, Medicare, Minority health
Hospital readmission rates among persons with diabetes, as well as absolute admission rates, may be used to study health disparities among rural and minority populations. This project will use data from the Medicare Chronic Conditions Data Warehouse to explore residence- and race-based disparities in diabetes admission rates, effective transitions to outpatient care, and re-admission rates, to help guide rural policy-makers and health care providers.

Publications (2)

Handling the Handoff: Rural and Race-Based Disparities in Post Hospitalization Follow-up Care Among Medicare Beneficiaries with Diabetes
Author(s): Kevin J. Bennett, Robert Chen, Medha Vyavaharkar, Saundra H. Glover, Janice C. Probst
Research center: South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Health disparities, Hospitals and clinics, Minority health
Date: 09 / 2011
Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases, affecting an estimated 23.6 million people in the United States (7.8% of the total population). Rural African American and Hispanic residents with diabetes are less likely to exhibit good control of their condition, putting them at greater risk for the consequences of this disease, such as kidney failure, blindness and amputation. Effective outpatient care is key to diabetes management. Absence of such care, conversely, may play a role in poorer diabetes control in rural areas. The present report uses information regarding Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes to examine the provision of care in rural America. It provides estimates of hospital admission rates for rural Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes, tracks the proportion of patients who receive adequate outpatient care post discharge, and assesses subsequent readmissions to the hospital. It also explores the potential for race-based disparities in care for diabetes.
Health Disparities: A Rural-Urban Chartbook (Full Report)
Author(s): Kevin J. Bennett, Bankole Olatosi, Janice C. Probst
Research center: South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Health disparities, Minority health
Citation: Bennett KJ, Olatosi B, Probst JC, �Health Disparities: A Rural-Urban Chartbook.� Technical report provided to Health Resources and Services Administration/Office of Rural Health Policy. June 2008. Retrieved@http://rhr.sph.sc.edu
Date: 06 / 2008
Rural minorities experience disparities in health and health care delivery. Previous studies have illustrated many of the health disparities experienced by rural residents, such as poorer health status, higher obesity prevalence, more with activity limitations, and higher mortality rates. The Chartbook seeks to expand the work of the National Healthcare Disparities Reports, issued annually by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. These Reports are limited in their discussion of disparities experienced by rural residents and present little data regarding disparities among rural minority populations. The present Chartbook expands upon prior work by examining potential disparities among rural populations in health, health behaviors, preventive services and diabetes care.

Topics Centers Researchers Other Resources Search		Kevin Bennett, PhD South Carolina Rural Health Research Center Phone: 803.251.6317 E-mail: Kevin.Bennett@sc.edu Current Projects (3) Intensity of Service Provision for Medicare Beneficiaries Utilizing Home Health Services Research center: South Carolina Rural Health Research Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Home health, Medicare This study will assess whether Medicare beneficiaries in rural areas receive a lower intensity of home health (HH) services compared to their urban counterparts. Specifically, the study will examine (1) the distribution of levels of HH services for four conditions: joint (hip and knee) replacement, stroke, end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and diabetes; (2) the distribution of type of provider for each condition across the levels of rurality; and (3) the median charge and payment per beneficiary for these services across the levels of rurality. Post-Hospital Transitions in Care Among Dually-Eligible Medicare Beneficiaries Research center: South Carolina Rural Health Research Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Health policy, Hospitals and clinics, Medicare This project will examine the hospitalization rates, post-discharge physician follow-up, and subsequent readmission rates among Medicare beneficiaries who are also enrolled in Medicaid. We will examine these dual-eligible beneficiaries by level of rurality to determine if residence is a significant factor in these rates. We will also control for co-morbidities, county characteristics, and other factors related to readmission rates. Rural and Urban Differences in Case-Mix Among Recipients of Home Health Care Research center: South Carolina Rural Health Research Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Health disparities, Home health, Medicare We will examine current patient case-mix for the Medicare population receiving skilled health care from a home health agency to determine if there are rural or race/ethnicity-based disparities with regards to receipt of services and clinical acuity indicators. Completed Projects (1) Transitions in Care for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries with Diabetes Research center: South Carolina Rural Health Research Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Health disparities, Medicare, Minority health Hospital readmission rates among persons with diabetes, as well as absolute admission rates, may be used to study health disparities among rural and minority populations. This project will use data from the Medicare Chronic Conditions Data Warehouse to explore residence- and race-based disparities in diabetes admission rates, effective transitions to outpatient care, and re-admission rates, to help guide rural policy-makers and health care providers. Publications (2) Handling the Handoff: Rural and Race-Based Disparities in Post Hospitalization Follow-up Care Among Medicare Beneficiaries with Diabetes Author(s): Kevin J. Bennett, Robert Chen, Medha Vyavaharkar, Saundra H. Glover, Janice C. Probst Research center: South Carolina Rural Health Research Center Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Health disparities, Hospitals and clinics, Minority health Date: 09 / 2011 Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases, affecting an estimated 23.6 million people in the United States (7.8% of the total population). Rural African American and Hispanic residents with diabetes are less likely to exhibit good control of their condition, putting them at greater risk for the consequences of this disease, such as kidney failure, blindness and amputation. Effective outpatient care is key to diabetes management. Absence of such care, conversely, may play a role in poorer diabetes control in rural areas. The present report uses information regarding Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes to examine the provision of care in rural America. It provides estimates of hospital admission rates for rural Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes, tracks the proportion of patients who receive adequate outpatient care post discharge, and assesses subsequent readmissions to the hospital. It also explores the potential for race-based disparities in care for diabetes. Health Disparities: A Rural-Urban Chartbook (Full Report) Author(s): Kevin J. Bennett, Bankole Olatosi, Janice C. Probst Research center: South Carolina Rural Health Research Center Topics: Health disparities, Minority health Citation: Bennett KJ, Olatosi B, Probst JC, �Health Disparities: A Rural-Urban Chartbook.� Technical report provided to Health Resources and Services Administration/Office of Rural Health Policy. June 2008. Retrieved@http://rhr.sph.sc.edu Date: 06 / 2008 Rural minorities experience disparities in health and health care delivery. Previous studies have illustrated many of the health disparities experienced by rural residents, such as poorer health status, higher obesity prevalence, more with activity limitations, and higher mortality rates. The Chartbook seeks to expand the work of the National Healthcare Disparities Reports, issued annually by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. These Reports are limited in their discussion of disparities experienced by rural residents and present little data regarding disparities among rural minority populations. The present Chartbook expands upon prior work by examining potential disparities among rural populations in health, health behaviors, preventive services and diabetes care.