Quality

Current Projects

• Availability, Care Practices, and Quality of Hospice Providers Serving Rural versus Urban Communities
  This project will examine differences in availability of hospice care in rural versus urban communities as well as provider-level quality and care practices by rural-urban status of hospices. Findings will highlight potential rural-urban disparities in hospice care that can be used to inform future Medicare policy.
  Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Aging, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Health disparities and health equity, Health services, Healthcare access, Hospice and palliative care, Medicare, Quality
  
• Comparing Utilization and Quality of Home Health Care Between Medicare Fee-for-Service and Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries by Rural-Urban Status
  This project examines differences in home health use and quality by enrollment in Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) versus Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. Findings will include information on rural-urban and intra-rural variation in home health care to inform policies on access, payment, and quality for Medicare FFS and MA plans.
  Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Aging, Allied health professionals, Health disparities and health equity, Health services, Healthcare access, Healthcare financing, Home health, Medicare, Medicare Advantage (MA), Post-acute care, Quality
  
• Disparities in Screening, Prevention, and Management of Cardiovascular Disease in Rural and Urban Primary Care
  This study will use a large national primary care registry to compare cardiovascular disease (CVD) screening, prevention, and management quality measures between rural and urban primary care practices. It will also assess for disparities by patient composition (race/ethnicity, insurance) of the practice.
  Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Topics: Care management, Chronic diseases and conditions, Health disparities and health equity, Health promotion and disease prevention, Health services, Minority health, Physicians, Quality
  
• Review of Current Research on Rural/Urban Differences in Social Determinants of Health
  Social determinants of health are social, economic, and community variables that influence health outcomes. This project will synthesize the extant literature on rural/urban differences in the social determinants of health, culminating in a comprehensive report that includes a summary of information gaps and further research needs.
  Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare access, Poverty, Quality, Social determinants of health, Uninsured and underinsured
  
• Rural and Urban Cancer Survivors' Follow-Up Care Experiences
  This project examines rural vs. urban differences in cancer survivors' follow-up care experiences using the 2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.
  Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Topics: Cancer, Care management, Health disparities and health equity, Health services, Healthcare access, Physicians, Post-acute care, Quality