Health services
Current Projects
Access to State-of-the-Art Hospice Care for Rural and Minority Hospice Users
Research center:
ORHP-funded Individual Grantees
Funder:
American Cancer Society (ACS)
Topics:
Health services,
Hospice and palliative care,
Medicare
This project will develop and map hospice care service areas that will allow for the measurement of access to hospice care for rural and minority Medicare beneficiaries who die of cancer, and recommend options for increasing access to hospice care in underserved rural areas.
Acute and Post-Acute Care Bundled Payments and Care Coordination in Rural Environments
Research center:
Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Health services,
Quality
The purpose of this project is to: 1) Identify opportunities and potential unintended consequences for rural providers of current proposals for implementing bundled payments for acute and post-acute care episodes; 2) Describe modifications to current bundling proposals that will address rural-specific issues; and 3) Identify quality measures related to care coordination that are relevant for rural patients whose services are reimbursed by a bundled payment.
Descriptive Analysis of the Health Status of a National Asbestos-Related Cohort
Research center:
ORHP-funded Individual Grantees
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Chronic diseases and conditions,
Health services
A collaborative study to establish a more comprehensive understanding of the health status and health service needs of persons exposed to Libby asbestos is being conducted by nurse researchers at Montana State University College of Nursing and health care providers at the Center for Asbestos Related Disease in Libby, Montana. Results of the descriptive study will provide health care providers and policy makers a better understanding of the health effects and health care needs of exposed persons.
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.
Effect of Safety Net Providers on Ambulatory Care Sensitive Hospitalization Rates in Rural Counties
Research center:
South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Chronic diseases and conditions,
Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs),
Health services,
Poverty,
Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)
This project will determine if the presence of a community health center or rural health clinic in a county reduces ambulatory care sensitive hospitalizations for children, working age adults, and older adults.
Examining Recent Trends and Variation in Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions-related Hospital Expenditures of Rural Americans with Different Health Insurance Coverage and Status
Research center:
Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Chronic diseases and conditions,
Health care financing,
Health insurance and the uninsured,
Health services
This study documents the national time-trend and regional variation of rural Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions (ACSC)-related hospital expenditures by patient insurance coverage/status. The study will also compare the pattern of difference in the ACSC-related expenditures of rural patients with different insurance coverage/status by patient demographic and economic characteristics as well as hospital characteristics.
Patient Assessments and Quality of Care in Rural Hospitals
Research center:
Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Health services,
Quality
This study will 1)analyze the relationships between rural patients’ perspectives of hospital quality of care and key hospital characteristics that may influence patients’ experiences of hospital care; and 2) assess whether rural patients’ perspectives of hospital quality of care are related to quality measures focused on the provision of recommended care for medical conditions.
Provision of Specialty Mental Health Services by Rural Health Clinics
Research center:
Maine Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Health services,
Mental health,
Rural Health Clinics (RHCs),
Substance abuse
This project will document the extent to which Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) are employing mental health staff nationally, understand why more RHCs are not employing specialty mental health staff, and analyze the barriers to and opportunities for the delivery of mental health services by RHCs. The results will identify opportunities and interventions to encourage RHCs to offer this important service.
Rural Emergency Department Preparedness for Pediatric Care
Research center:
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Children,
Health services,
Hospitals and clinics
While many large cities have dedicated children’s hospitals or facilities with pediatric emergency departments, many general hospitals do not have either the equipment necessary to provide optimal pediatric emergency care nor staff that is specifically trained in the care of pediatric emergencies. This project will use secondary data analysis and semi-structured interviews with emergency room directors in order to address how the availability of pediatric services, expertise and supplies in U.S. emergency departments differs between urban and rural facilities, and to determine which factors impede the availability of pediatric services, expertise, and supplies in rural emergency departments.
Rural-Urban Differences in Access to Children’s Mental Health Services
Research center:
Maine Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Children,
Health services,
Mental health
This study uses data from the Urban Institute’s National Survey of America’s Families to examine and compare the use of mental health services by rural and urban children, age 6 to 17, relative to their need for mental health care, family income, and insurance status.
The Impact of Expansion of Ambulatory Surgery Centers on Rural Hospitals and Communities
Research center:
Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Health care financing,
Health services
This project will examine the extent of freestanding ambulatory surgery center (ASC) expansion into rural communities between 1998 and 2005, the market factors driving that expansion, and the impact of ASCs on the operational and financial viability of rural hospitals located in the same communities.
Trends in Access to Health Care among Rural Residents: A National Study
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Health disparities,
Health services,
Rural statistics and demographics
This study used national data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to ascertain the extent to which individual rural residents lack access to health care providers.
Use of Emergency Departments and Inpatient Care for Conditions Related to Poor Oral Health Care
Research center:
Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Dental health,
Health services
This study combines patient-level data from emergency departments and inpatient hospitals from selected states with data on dental HPSA designation, Medicaid dental coverage, and area population characteristics to document the extent to which ED and inpatient settings are used to treat problems related to poor oral health care, the charges for such care, and variations in the use of such services by characteristics of the patient and the area.
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.
