Hospitals and clinics
Current Projects
Cancer Hospitalizations in Rural-Urban Areas in Relation to Carcinogenic Discharges from Toxics Release Inventory Facilities
Research center
:
West Virginia Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Chronic diseases and conditions, Environmental & agricultural health, Hospitals and clinics, Public health
The purpose of the research is to understand whether discharges of carcinogens from Toxics Release Inventory facilities are related to higher cancer hospitalization rates in rural and urban settings. Evidence for this association will have potential implications for improvements to environmental policy or policies for improved cancer detection and treatment in rural settings.
Community and Financial Experience of Medicare Dependent
Hospitals in Comparison to Other Rural Hospitals
Research center
:
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Hospitals and clinics, Medicare, Medicare Prospective Payment System (PPS)
This research will investigate the community and financial experience of Medicare Dependent Hospitals in comparison with other rural hospitals. Analysis of the financial experience will include comparison of the long-term profitability of MDHs to other rural hospitals, estimation of the potential profitability consequences of eliminating the payment classification, and estimation of the potential consequences of maintaining the payment classification but failing to update the base year from which costs are trended forward.
Comprehensive Study of Swing Bed Use in Rural Hospitals
Research center
:
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Hospitals and clinics, Medicare, Medicare Prospective Payment System (PPS)
This project will comprehensively address questions about how swing beds are used by rural hospitals. Questions to be answered include whether decision about use are driven by patient need, community resources, hospital operational concerns or some combination of these factors; the cost implications of swing bed use in critical access hospitals to the Medicare program; and whether patients served in swing beds differ in meaningful ways from those in skilled nursing facilities.
Effect of Type and Timeliness of Post-Acute Care on Preventable Hospital Readmissions for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries
Research center
:
Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Hospitals and clinics, Medicare
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.
Examining the Applicability of the AHRQ's Inpatient Quality Indicators to Rural Hospitals and the Implications of the Relationship Between the Indicators and Financial Measures for Medicare Payment Policies
Research center
:
Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Health care financing, Health policy, Hospitals and clinics, Quality
This study will investigate how the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's inpatient quality indicators can be applied to rural hospitals and will explore the application of those indicators in answering relevant policy questions.
Health Information Technology Implementation and Rural Hospital Outcomes
Research center
:
Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Critical Access Hospitals and Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, Health information technology, Hospitals and clinics, Technology
The purpose of this project is to measure the effect of health IT on quality outcomes in rural hospitals, including Critical Access Hospitals.
High Quality Rural Hospitals and Post-Acute Care Providers
Research center
:
Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Hospitals and clinics, Quality
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.
Impact of Hospitalists on Inpatient and Primary Care in Rural Communities
Research center
:
Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topic:
Hospitals and clinics
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.
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.
Related Topics
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