Health services

Current Projects

Analysis of the Effects of Federal Debt Reduction and Long Term Budget Adjustment on Rural Health Care Delivery
Research center : Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Health policy, Health services, Medicaid and S-CHIP, Medicare
The RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis will examine suggested changes in Medicare and Medicaid as stated in proposals to reduce spending as part of achieving deficit reduction.

Do Communities Make a Difference in Access? A National Study
Research center : Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topic: Health services
This project will examine the effect of community-level resources on an individual's access to health care, particularly whether urban and rural individuals' access to health care differs, given community differences.

Do Rural Patients with Early Stage Prostate Cancer Gain Access to All Treatment Choices?
Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Health services
This research will use cancer registry data from 10 states to examine the degree to which rural residents diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer access the full range of surveillance, surgical, and radiation treatment options. Study findings will inform cancer centers, advocacy groups, rural program planners, and policymakers about services and programs needed to ensure that rural prostate cancer patients can choose from among all treatment options.

Impact of Payment Policy on Access to Physician Care in Rural America
Research center : Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Health services, Medicare, Physicians
Profiles of physician practices will be constructed that specify the percent of payments derived from specific current procedural terminology (CPT) codes, dichotomized into evaluation and management (often considered to define primary care) or procedural. Differences across rural practices and between rural and urban practices will be analyzed, with implications for payment policies intended to reward rural primary care.

Patterns of Care in Small Rural Areas: Implications for New Models of Care Provision and Payment such as Bundled Payments and Accountable Care Organizations
Research center : North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Health policy, Health services
This study will describe usual patterns of care in rural areas to determine whether rural areas are part of a single service area, or whether smaller communities utilize services from a variety of larger hubs. The results of this analysis will inform a thought piece on how the concepts of bundled payments and Accountable Care Organizations might play out in small rural areas and whether small rural communities can be assigned to a single service area without major disruption of current patterns of care.

Promotion and Protection of Rural Miner Health: Are the Resources in Place?
Research center : West Virginia Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Environmental & agricultural health, Health services, Public health
Miners are exposed to various potentially harmful agents and dangerous work conditions, and may have difficulty accessing care in some rural settings. The study aims to 1) Locate and map mining communities in the US and rural safety net providers (RHC’s, FQHC’s and Critical Access Hospitals) in those communities; and 2) Identify environmental health competencies (specifically related to miner health) in rural primary care providers practicing in identified mining communities.

Use of Recommended Radiation Therapy in the Rural U.S.
Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Health services
This study will use cancer registry data from 10 U.S. states to examine which rural cancer patients are receiving recommended radiation therapy, and what factors influence receipt of recommended treatment. Identifying gaps in radiation therapy will inform cancer centers, rural program planners, and policy makers in rural cancer service locations and cancer support program development.

Topics Centers Researchers Other Resources Search		Health services Current Projects Analysis of the Effects of Federal Debt Reduction and Long Term Budget Adjustment on Rural Health Care Delivery Research center : Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Health policy, Health services, Medicaid and S-CHIP, Medicare The RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis will examine suggested changes in Medicare and Medicaid as stated in proposals to reduce spending as part of achieving deficit reduction. Do Communities Make a Difference in Access? A National Study Research center : Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topic: Health services This project will examine the effect of community-level resources on an individual's access to health care, particularly whether urban and rural individuals' access to health care differs, given community differences. Do Rural Patients with Early Stage Prostate Cancer Gain Access to All Treatment Choices? Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Health services This research will use cancer registry data from 10 states to examine the degree to which rural residents diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer access the full range of surveillance, surgical, and radiation treatment options. Study findings will inform cancer centers, advocacy groups, rural program planners, and policymakers about services and programs needed to ensure that rural prostate cancer patients can choose from among all treatment options. Impact of Payment Policy on Access to Physician Care in Rural America Research center : Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Health services, Medicare, Physicians Profiles of physician practices will be constructed that specify the percent of payments derived from specific current procedural terminology (CPT) codes, dichotomized into evaluation and management (often considered to define primary care) or procedural. Differences across rural practices and between rural and urban practices will be analyzed, with implications for payment policies intended to reward rural primary care. Patterns of Care in Small Rural Areas: Implications for New Models of Care Provision and Payment such as Bundled Payments and Accountable Care Organizations Research center : North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Health policy, Health services This study will describe usual patterns of care in rural areas to determine whether rural areas are part of a single service area, or whether smaller communities utilize services from a variety of larger hubs. The results of this analysis will inform a thought piece on how the concepts of bundled payments and Accountable Care Organizations might play out in small rural areas and whether small rural communities can be assigned to a single service area without major disruption of current patterns of care. Promotion and Protection of Rural Miner Health: Are the Resources in Place? Research center : West Virginia Rural Health Research Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Environmental & agricultural health, Health services, Public health Miners are exposed to various potentially harmful agents and dangerous work conditions, and may have difficulty accessing care in some rural settings. The study aims to 1) Locate and map mining communities in the US and rural safety net providers (RHC’s, FQHC’s and Critical Access Hospitals) in those communities; and 2) Identify environmental health competencies (specifically related to miner health) in rural primary care providers practicing in identified mining communities. Use of Recommended Radiation Therapy in the Rural U.S. Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Health services This study will use cancer registry data from 10 U.S. states to examine which rural cancer patients are receiving recommended radiation therapy, and what factors influence receipt of recommended treatment. Identifying gaps in radiation therapy will inform cancer centers, rural program planners, and policy makers in rural cancer service locations and cancer support program development.