National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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AHRQ Research Studies
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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 15 of 15 Research Studies DisplayedLee SC, Higashi RT, Sanders JM
Effects of program scale-up on time to resolution for patients with abnormal screening mammography results.
Effects of geographic program expansion to rural areas on mammogram screening program outcomes are understudied. The authors of this study sought to determine whether time-to-resolution (TTR) varied significantly by service delivery time period, location, and participant characteristics across 19 North Texas counties.
AHRQ-funded; HS022418.
Citation: Lee SC, Higashi RT, Sanders JM .
Effects of program scale-up on time to resolution for patients with abnormal screening mammography results.
Cancer Causes Control 2018 Oct;29(10):995-1005. doi: 10.1007/s10552-018-1074-4..
Keywords: Cancer: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Imaging, Screening, Women, Rural Health, Access to Care, Prevention
Baernholdt M, Hinton ID
Fall rates in urban and rural nursing units: does location matter?
This paper discusses a study of fall rates in 65 rural hospitals with 222 nursing units and 560 urban hospitals with 4274 nursing units. The authors found that geographic region, unit type, and nurse staffing, education, experience, and outcomes were associated with fall rates.
AHRQ-funded; HS023147.
Citation: Baernholdt M, Hinton ID .
Fall rates in urban and rural nursing units: does location matter?
J Nurs Care Qual 2018 Oct/Dec;33(4):326-33. doi: 10.1097/ncq.0000000000000319..
Keywords: Falls, Patient Safety, Rural Health, Urban Health
Andreae SJ, Andreae LJ, Cherrington AL
Development of a community health worker-delivered cognitive behavioral training intervention for individuals with diabetes and chronic pain.
The investigators presented an iterative developmental approach to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that combined program adaptation, pretesting, and community health workers (CHW) training processes for a CBT-based diabetes self-care program for individuals living with diabetes and chronic pain.
AHRQ-funded; HS019239.
Citation: Andreae SJ, Andreae LJ, Cherrington AL .
Development of a community health worker-delivered cognitive behavioral training intervention for individuals with diabetes and chronic pain.
Fam Community Health 2018 Jul/Sep;41(3):178-84. doi: 10.1097/fch.0000000000000197.
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Keywords: Behavioral Health, Chronic Conditions, Community-Based Practice, Diabetes, Rural Health
Baloh J, Zhu X, Ward MM
Implementing team huddles in small rural hospitals: how does the Kotter model of change apply?
The purpose of this study was to examine how the process of change prescribed in Kotter's change model applies in implementing team huddles, and to assess the impact of the execution of early change phases on change success in later phases. The investigators found mixed support for the Kotter model.
AHRQ-funded; HS024112.
Citation: Baloh J, Zhu X, Ward MM .
Implementing team huddles in small rural hospitals: how does the Kotter model of change apply?
J Nurs Manag 2018 Jul;26(5):571-78. doi: 10.1111/jonm.12584..
Keywords: Hospitals, Rural Health, Teams, TeamSTEPPS
Toth M, Holmes M, Toles M
Impact of postdischarge follow-up care on Medicare expenditures: does rural make a difference?
Reducing postdischarge Medicare expenditures is a key focus for hospitals. Early follow-up care is an important piece of this focus, but it is unclear whether there are rural-urban differences in the impact of follow-up care on Medicare expenditures. To assess this difference, the study authors used Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey, Cost and Use Files, 2000-2010 to conduct a retrospective analysis of 30-day postdischarge Medicare expenditures using two-stage residual inclusion with a quantile regression, where the receipt of 7-day follow-up care was the main independent variable.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Toth M, Holmes M, Toles M .
Impact of postdischarge follow-up care on Medicare expenditures: does rural make a difference?
Med Care Res Rev 2018 Jun;75(3):327-53. doi: 10.1177/1077558716687499.
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Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Hospital Discharge, Medicare, Rural Health
Cole MB, Wright B, Wilson IB
Medicaid expansion and community health centers: care quality and service use increased for rural patients.
Investigators studied the impact of Medicaid expansion in rural areas. Data from 2011-2015 found that there was an 11.4% decline in uninsured patients and a 13.5% increase in Medicaid patients at community health centers (CHCs). Relative improvements were shown in patients with chronic conditions such as asthma and hypertension; and an increase in visits for mammograms and substance abuse disorders.
AHRQ-funded; HS024652.
Citation: Cole MB, Wright B, Wilson IB .
Medicaid expansion and community health centers: care quality and service use increased for rural patients.
Health Aff 2018 Jun;37(6):900-07. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2017.1542..
Keywords: Medicaid, Community-Based Practice, Rural Health, Access to Care, Quality of Care, Healthcare Utilization, Primary Care
Stringer KL, Azuero A, Ott C
Feasibility and acceptability of real-time antiretroviral adherence monitoring among depressed women living with HIV in the deep south of the US.
The purpose of this study was to present feasibility and acceptability data on the use of an electronic adherence monitor (EAM) among African American women in remote areas of the Southeastern United States with HIV and co-occurring depression. EAM and self-reported antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence was monitored among 25 participants recruited at four HIV clinics in Alabama. Intra-class correlation showed a low degree of concordance between EAM and self-reported adherence. 83% of data collected via EAM was transmitted in real-time; the remainder was delayed though technological failures or was lost entirely. The authors conclude that EAM monitoring is feasible in a rural US setting but that technological difficulties may impede the device's usefulness for just-in-time adherence interventions.
AHRQ-funded; HS013852.
Citation: Stringer KL, Azuero A, Ott C .
Feasibility and acceptability of real-time antiretroviral adherence monitoring among depressed women living with HIV in the deep south of the US.
AIDS Behav 2018 May;23(5):1306-14. doi: 10.1007/s10461-018-2322-z..
Keywords: Depression, Health Information Technology (HIT), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Medication, Behavioral Health, Patient Adherence/Compliance, Rural Health, Telehealth, Women
Gowrisankaran G, Lucarelli C, Schmidt-Dengler P
Can amputation save the hospital? The impact of the Medicare Rural Flexibility Program on demand and welfare.
This paper sought to understand the impact of the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program on hospital choice and consumer welfare for rural residents. The Flex Program created a new class of hospital, the Critical Access Hospital (CAH), which received more generous Medicare reimbursements in return for limits on capacity and length of stay. The investigators found that conversion to CAH status resulted in a 4.7 percent drop in inpatient admissions to participating hospitals, almost all of which was driven by factors other than capacity constraints.
AHRQ-funded; HS018424.
Citation: Gowrisankaran G, Lucarelli C, Schmidt-Dengler P .
Can amputation save the hospital? The impact of the Medicare Rural Flexibility Program on demand and welfare.
J Health Econ 2018 Mar;58:110-22. doi: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2018.01.004..
Keywords: Rural Health, Access to Care, Hospitals, Medicare, Payment
Lobo JM, Anderson R, Stukenborg GJ
Disparities in the use of diabetes screening in Appalachia.
This study examines disparities in the use of diabetes screening in Appalachia. Results showed that at-risk counties had significantly lower screening rates than competitive counties. Recommendations include introducing social policies that improve socioeconomic status and educational attainment, and health policies that reduce barriers to access to care in order to reduce disparities in diabetes screening rates in the less affluent Appalachian counties.
AHRQ-funded; HS018542.
Citation: Lobo JM, Anderson R, Stukenborg GJ .
Disparities in the use of diabetes screening in Appalachia.
J Rural Health 2018 Mar;34(2):173-81. doi: 10.1111/jrh.12247..
Keywords: Diabetes, Rural Health, Disparities, Social Determinants of Health, Screening, Prevention
Khubchandani JA, Ingraham AM, Daniel VT
Geographic diffusion and implementation of acute care surgery: an uneven solution to the national emergency general surgery crisis.
Researchers investigated geographic diffusion of acute care surgery (ACS) models of care and characterized the communities in which ACS implementation is lagging. They found that acute care surgery implementation has not been uniform. Rural regions have limited ACS access, with hospitals in counties with greater than the 75th percentile population having 5.4 times higher odds of implementing ACS than hospitals in counties with less than 25th percentile population.
AHRQ-funded; HS022694.
Citation: Khubchandani JA, Ingraham AM, Daniel VT .
Geographic diffusion and implementation of acute care surgery: an uneven solution to the national emergency general surgery crisis.
JAMA Surg 2018 Feb;153(2):150-59. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2017.3799.
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Keywords: Critical Care, Rural Health, Surgery
Davis MM, Freeman M, Shannon J
A systematic review of clinic and community intervention to increase fecal testing for colorectal cancer in rural and low-income populations in the United States - how, what and when?
Researchers conducted this systematic review to determine how implementation strategies and contextual factors influenced the uptake of interventions to increase fecal testing for colorectal cancer in rural and low-income populations. They found that provision of kits through the mail, use of pre-addressed stamped envelopes, client reminders and in-clinic distribution appeared most frequently in the highly effective/effective clinic-based study arms. Few studies described contextual factors or implementation strategies.
AHRQ-funded; HS022981.
Citation: Davis MM, Freeman M, Shannon J .
A systematic review of clinic and community intervention to increase fecal testing for colorectal cancer in rural and low-income populations in the United States - how, what and when?
BMC Cancer 2018 Jan 6;18(1):40. doi: 10.1186/s12885-017-3813-4.
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Keywords: Cancer: Colorectal Cancer, Health Promotion, Low-Income, Rural Health, Screening
Williams D, Jr., Holmes M
Rural health care costs: are they higher and why might they differ from urban health care costs?
Do health care costs differ between rural and urban populations, and if so, why might that be? Rural Americans are more vulnerable than their urban counterparts, which could lead one to suspect rural health care costs are higher. However, the answer may differ depending on how costs are measured and who is paying.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Williams D, Jr., Holmes M .
Rural health care costs: are they higher and why might they differ from urban health care costs?
N C Med J 2018 Jan-Feb;79(1):51-55. doi: 10.18043/ncm.79.1.51.
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Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Rural Health, Urban Health
Lindrooth RC, Perraillon MC, Hardy RY
Understanding the relationship between Medicaid expansions and hospital closures.
The investigators hypothesized that Medicaid expansion of eligibility for childless adults prevents hospital closures because increased Medicaid coverage for previously uninsured people reduces uncompensated care expenditures and strengthens hospitals' financial position. They tested this hypothesis using data for the period 2008-16 on hospital closures and financial performance and discuss their findings in this paper.
AHRQ-funded; HS024959; HS025208.
Citation: Lindrooth RC, Perraillon MC, Hardy RY .
Understanding the relationship between Medicaid expansions and hospital closures.
Health Aff 2018 Jan;37(1):111-20. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2017.0976..
Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Policy, Hospitals, Medicaid, Rural Health
Pignone MP, Crutchfield TM, Brown PM
Using a discrete choice experiment to inform the design of programs to promote colon cancer screening for vulnerable populations in North Carolina.
This study used a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to learn about how vulnerable individuals in North Carolina value different aspects of CRC screening programs. It found that follow-up cost coverage was most frequently found to be the most important attribute from the DCE (47 percent); followed by test reward/copayment (33 percent).
AHRQ-funded; HS019468.
Citation: Pignone MP, Crutchfield TM, Brown PM .
Using a discrete choice experiment to inform the design of programs to promote colon cancer screening for vulnerable populations in North Carolina.
BMC Health Serv Res 2014 Nov 30;14:611. doi: 10.1186/s12913-014-0611-4..
Keywords: Cancer: Colorectal Cancer, Health Promotion, Rural Health, Screening, Social Determinants of Health
Shaikh U, Nettiksimmons J, Joseph JG
Collaborative practice improvement for childhood obesity in rural clinics: the Healthy Eating Active Living Telehealth Community of Practice (HEALTH COP).
The authors assessed the impact of participation in a virtual quality improvement (QI) learning network on adherence to clinical guidelines for childhood obesity prevention in rural clinics. They found that children who received care from clinicians who led the implementation of the intervention at their clinic showed significant improvements in nutrition and physical activity. Virtual QI learning networks in geographically dispersed clinics can significantly increase clinicians' adherence to guidelines for childhood obesity and improve access to recommended care for rural and underserved children.
AHRQ-funded; HS018567.
Citation: Shaikh U, Nettiksimmons J, Joseph JG .
Collaborative practice improvement for childhood obesity in rural clinics: the Healthy Eating Active Living Telehealth Community of Practice (HEALTH COP).
Am J Med Qual 2014 Nov-Dec;29(6):467-75. doi: 10.1177/1062860613506252.
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Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Evidence-Based Practice, Health Information Technology (HIT), Lifestyle Changes, Nutrition, Obesity, Prevention, Quality Improvement, Rural Health, Telehealth