About this project Contact: Ira Moscovice, PhD Project start date: September 2006 Project completed: October 2008 The Flex Monitoring Team has worked to develop financial and quality performance measurement systems for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). The University of North Carolina (UNC) has taken the lead on the development of financial indicators for CAHs and analysis… Read more »
What Does the Allied Health Clinical Doctorate Mean for Rural Areas?
About this project Lead researcher: Jennifer King Project funded: September 2007 Project completed: August 2008 Allied health occupations play a major role in healthcare delivery and comprise a significant proportion of the health care workforce in the United States. Researchers have found empirical evidence of allied health shortages in many states, including reports of rising… Read more »
Developing a Financial Performance Measurement System for Critical Access Hospitals
About this project George H. Pink, PhD, lead investigator Project funded: September 2003 Project completed: August 2008 This multi-year project uses research and expert opinion to select dimensions and indicators of financial performance, develop appropriate methods of peer comparison, and identify characteristics of high performing Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). In year three of this project… Read more »
Critical Access Hospital Conversion Tracking
Understanding critical access hospital (CAH) conversion tracking Lead researcher: Rebecca T. Slifkin, PhD Project funded: September 2003 Project completed: August 2008 This multi-year project will continue the tracking of Critical Access Hospital (CAH) conversions. A CAH management information dataset, housed at the University of North Carolina, will be updated with information on conversions supplied by… Read more »
Assessing the Impact of Transfer of Pharmacy Services for Dual Eligible Beneficiaries to Medicare Part D
Assessing the impact of transfer of pharmacy services for dual eligible Medicare Part D beneficiaries Project funded: September 2006 Project completed: October 2008 With the implementation of the Medicare prescription drug benefit (Part D) in January 2006, full-benefit dual eligible beneficiaries no longer have their prescription medications paid for by Medicaid but are instead… Read more »
Volunteerism in Rural EMS
Understanding volunteerism in rural EMS Project funded: September 2007 Project completed: August 2010 Emergency medical services (EMS) providers are continually challenged to maintain an adequate workforce. A survey of state EMS directors in 2004 suggests that volunteerism is declining in rural areas. Communities may respond to declining volunteerism in a variety of ways including conversion… Read more »
Rural-urban Comparison of Hospital Financial Performance by Medicare Payment Classification
Contact: George H. Pink, PhD, 919.843.2728, gpink@email.unc.edu Project funded: September 2008 Project completed: August 2010 Topics: Hospitals and clinics, Medicare The standard mechanism for Medicare payment for hospital services is the Prospective Payment System, but four specific hospital classifications, each with different payment enhancements and qualification criteria, are available to hospitals that serve rural communities [sole community… Read more »
Rural Medicaid and CHIP Mini-Studies
Learn more about Medicaid and CHIP in our mini-studies Lead researcher: Rebecca T. Slifkin, PhD Project funded: September 2009 Project completed: December 2010 Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are important sources of health insurance coverage, especially in rural communities. In 2007, we created a website with state-level Medicaid enrollment data in rural… Read more »
Rural Emergency Department Preparedness for Pediatric Care
About this project Lead researcher: Victoria Freeman, DrPH, RN Project completed: May 2010 In 2006, the Institute of Medicine published its report “Emergency Care for Children: Growing Pains” as part of its Future of Emergency Care series. Children comprise 27% of all emergency room admissions; yet, one survey found that only 6% of emergency departments… Read more »
Medicaid and SCHIP Participation in Rural and Urban Areas
Medicaid and SCHIP Participation in Rural and Urban Areas Lead researcher: Rebecca T. Slifkin, PhD Project funded: September 2008 Project completed: August 2010 Medicaid and SCHIP are important source of health insurance coverage in rural communities. The programs also are vital sources of income for rural healthcare providers. However, it can be difficult to obtain… Read more »
Factors Associated with Provision of Ambulance Services by Rural Hospitals
Learn more about rural hospital ambulance services factors Lead researcher: Victoria Freeman, DrPH, RN Project funded: September 2008 Project completed: August 2010 Rural emergency medical services (EMS) agencies face continual challenges to ensure a trained workforce to meet the prehospital emergency care needs of their communities. A reliance on volunteer emergency medical technicians (EMTs) with… Read more »
Mini-Studies to Inform Health Reform Efforts
About this project Project funded: September 2009 Project completed: August 2011 Characteristics of rural residents, combined with challenges faced by rural providers, make rural health care systems far more vulnerable to changes in federal health care policy than are those in urban areas. Because of the characteristics of rural residents and providers, federal health care… Read more »
Impact of surgery on rural hospital market share
Examining the impact of surgery on rural hospital market share Anecdotal evidence supports the notion that the viability of many rural hospitals is strongly affected by their offering surgical services. Contact: George H. Pink, PhD Project funded: September 2009 Project completed: March 2011 Recent studies showing a decline in the general surgery workforce in rural… Read more »
Office of Rural Health Policy: Cooperative Agreement for Rapid Response to Issue-Specific Rural Research
About this project Office of Rural Health Policy: Cooperative Agreement for Rapid Response to Issue-Specific Rural Research. Lead researcher: Rebecca T. Slifkin, PhD Project funded: January 2006 Project completed: August 2012 Publications 2012-14 Profitability of Urban and Rural Hospitals by Medicare Payment Classification Policy Brief North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center Date:… Read more »
What Happens after Acute Inpatient Care is No Longer Provided by a Rural Hospital?
About this project This project will investigate the precursors to the closure of acute inpatient care by rural hospitals and the post-closure configuration of health care services in the community. Contact: George H. Pink, PhD Project funded: September 2014 Project completed: August 2015 Publications A Comparison of Closed Rural Hospitals and Perceived Impact Policy Brief… Read more »