Research Alert: December 23, 2015
FORHP Research Center Journal Publications between October 2014 and September 2015
Geographic
and Specialty Distribution of US Physicians Trained to
Treat Opioid Use Disorder
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Seeks to describe the geographic distribution and
specialties of physicians obtaining waivers from the Drug
Enforcement Administration (DEA) to prescribe
buprenorphine-naloxone to treat opioid use disorder and
to identify potential shortages of physicians.
The
Rural Obstetric Workforce in US Hospitals: Challenges and
Opportunities
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research
Center
Describes the types and combinations of clinicians who
are delivering babies in rural hospitals, their
employment status, the relationship between hospital
birth volume and staffing models, and the staffing
challenges faced by rural hospitals.
Minimum Distance Requirements Could Harm High-Performing
CAHs and Rural Communities
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research
Center and North Carolina Rural Health Research
and Policy Analysis Center
Since the inception of the Medicare Rural Hospital
Flexibility Program in 1997, over 1,300 rural hospitals
have converted to critical access hospitals, which
entitles them to Medicare cost based reimbursement
instead of reimbursement based on the hospital
prospective payment system (PPS). Several changes to
eligibility for critical access status have recently been
proposed. Most of the changes focus on mandating that
hospitals be located a certain minimum distance from the
nearest hospital. The article concludes that establishing
a minimum distance requirement would generate modest cost
savings for Medicare but would likely be disruptive to
the communities that depend on these hospitals for their
health care.
Poorer
Quality Outcomes of Medicare-Certified Home Health Care
in Areas with High Levels of Native American/Alaska
Native Residents
South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
This study examined whether quality indicators reported
to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
by Medicare-certified home health care agencies are equal
in areas with high Native American or Alaska Native
(NA/AN) concentration. Identifying gaps in quality among
multiple measures of home health care for high-risk areas
allows practitioners and home health care service
providers to target quality improvement interventions.
Thirty-Day
Readmission Rates Among Dual-Eligible
Beneficiaries
South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
Conducts a cross-sectional analysis of Medicare claims,
restricted to 297,084 beneficiaries with a
hospitalization from February 1, 2009, through November
30, 2009.
Rural
Medicare Beneficiaries Have Fewer Follow-up Visits and
Greater Emergency Department Use Post-discharge
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy
Analysis Center
Conducts a retrospective analysis of elderly Medicare
beneficiaries discharged home using the Medicare Current
Beneficiary Survey, Cost and Use files, 2000-2010.
The
Rising Rate of Rural Hospital Closures
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy
Analysis Center
This study is a preliminary look at recent closures and a
formative step in research to understand the causes and
the impact on rural communities.
The Effect of Surgery on the Profitability of Rural
Hospitals
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy
Analysis Center
Determines the effect of surgery on the profitability of
rural hospitals.
Financially
Fragile Hospitals: Mergers and Closures
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy
Analysis Center
Rural hospitals serve as major sources of health care and
employment for their communities, but recently they have
been under increased financial stress.
Additional Resources of Interest:
- More information from the Rural Health Information Hub's topic guide: Conducting Research, Needs Assessment, and Evaluation