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Rural Health
Research Gateway

Michelle Casey, MS

Contact information for this researcher is no longer available, but you can still access their previous work.

Completed Projects - (15)

  • Analysis of Critical Access Hospital Inpatient Hospitalizations and Transfers from CAHs to Other Acute and Post-Acute Care Settings Using State Inpatient Databases
    The purpose of this project is to analyze Critical Access Hospital (CAH) inpatient hospitalizations and transfers from CAHs in order to help inform the development of quality indicators for CAHs, especially quality indicators focused on the transfer process.
    Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Post-acute care, Quality
  • Analyzing the Relationship Among Critical Access Hospital Financial Status, Organizational Linkages, and Scope of Services
    This project will systematically analyze the relationships among pre- and post-conversion Critical Access Hospital (CAH) financial performance, the organizational linkages in which the hospital participates (e.g., health care systems and/or networks), and the scope of services (i.e., the number and type of services) provided.
    Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Health services, Healthcare financing, Networking and collaboration
  • Assessing the Rural Relevance of Hospital Outpatient Quality Measures
    The purpose of this project is to: 1) determine the diagnoses that are most commonly treated and the procedures most commonly performed in rural hospital outpatient settings; and 2) to evaluate the rural relevance of the proposed new CMS outpatient quality measures and other potential outpatient quality measures.
    Research center: Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Hospitals and clinics, Quality
  • Critical Access Hospital Participation in the Hospital Quality Alliance and Initial Quality Measure Results
    This project examined the participation of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in public reporting of quality measures in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hospital Compare database. It presented the initial Hospital Compare results for CAHs and comparisons with other groups of hospitals on quality measures for three conditions: acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), heart failure and pneumonia.
    Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Quality
  • Hospitalizations of Rural Children for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions
    This project uses state inpatient discharge data from six states, data from the Area Resource File and the AHRQ Pediatric Quality Indicators to examine Ambulatory Care Sensitive Condition admission rates for rural children.
    Research center: Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Children and adolescents, Chronic diseases and conditions
  • Impact of Hospitalists on Inpatient and Primary Care in Rural Communities
    This project will analyze primary data from a survey of rural hospitals about their use of hospitalists along with several sources of secondary data to examine why and how hospitalists are being used in rural hospitals and the impact of their use.
    Research center: Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Topic: Hospitals and clinics
  • Impact of Private Sector Quality Initiatives on Rural Providers and Patients
    The purpose of this project is to assess the impact of private sector quality reporting and quality improvement initiatives on rural providers and on the quality of care provided to rural patients.
    Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Topic: Quality
  • Implementation of Telepharmacy in Rural Hospitals: Potential for Improving Medication Safety
    The purpose of this project is to describe successful telepharmacy activities and to analyze policy issues related to the implementation of telepharmacy projects in rural hospitals. These policy issues include the potential impact of telepharmacy use on the quality of pharmaceutical services and medication safety for rural patients.
    Research center: Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Hospitals and clinics, Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Quality, Telehealth
  • Measuring Quality in Rural Health Services: Are Hospital and Health Plan Accreditation Standards Appropriate for Rural Areas?
    Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Topic: Quality
  • Measuring Quality Performance in CAHs
    The purpose of the project is to update our previous analyses of Critical Access Hospital (CAH) participation in Hospital Compare, analyze trends over time, and explore additional sources of quality data for CAHs.
    Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Quality
  • Patient Assessments and Quality of Care in Rural Hospitals
    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.
    Research center: Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Health services, Quality
  • Quality Implications of Transferring Emergency Department Patients from Rural Hospitals
    This project will use Medicare inpatient and Emergency Department claims data to 1.) compare patients who are transferred directly from rural hospital Emergency Departments to larger hospitals with those who are admitted as inpatients to rural hospitals in terms of diagnoses, comorbidities, demographics, and the care received and 2.) analyze how the inclusion or exclusion of transferred emergency patients affects risk-adjusted mortality rates for transferring and receiving hospitals.
    Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Quality
  • Rural Emergency Department Staffing: Implications for the Quality of Emergency Care Provided in Rural Areas
    This project will describe emergency department (ED) staffing patterns in rural hospitals; determine how the certification, training, and experience of ED physicians and other providers in different ED staffing models vary; and assess the implications of rural ED staffing for the quality of emergency care in rural areas, continuity of care, and rural EDs' role as safety net providers.
    Research center: Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Hospitals and clinics, Quality, Workforce
  • Rural Implications of Quality-Based Physician Payment Reform
    The purpose of this project is to assess existing national data about the quality of care provided by rural physicians, and to determine what additional information will be needed as CMS moves towards inclusion of all physicians in payment reforms based on quality.
    Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Physicians, Quality
  • Successful Implementation of Medication Safety Initiatives in Rural Hospitals: The Role of Pharmacists and Technology
    This project will assess the capacity of rural hospitals to implement medication safety practices that reduce the likelihood of serious adverse drug events, and will identify factors that facilitate successful implementation of medication safety practices in rural hospitals.
    Research center: Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Hospitals and clinics, Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Quality

Publications - (40)

2018

2017

2016

2015

  • Minimum Distance Requirements Could Harm High-Performing CAHs and Rural Communities
    Journal Article
    North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center, University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 04/2015
    Compares the effect of location on critical access hospitals' size, quality of care, and financial strength. Discusses implications of minimum distance requirements on critical access hospitals.
  • The Rural Obstetric Workforce in U.S. Hospitals: Challenges and Opportunities
    Journal Article
    University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 03/2015
    Describes the healthcare and clinician types who are delivering babies in rural hospitals, such as family physicians, general surgeons, obstetricians, and midwives. Discusses the relationship between hospital birth volume and staffing models.

2014

2012

  • Quality Reporting for CAHs and Rural PPS Hospitals: The Potential Impact of Composite Measures
    Policy Brief
    Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 07/2012
    As a part of a larger project that examined alternative ways of identifying high quality rural hospitals, this report assesses the use of composite scores for public reporting of quality measures as one way of addressing the low volume issue for small rural hospitals.
  • The Use of Hospitalists in Small Rural Hospitals
    Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 04/2012
    This policy brief describes the results of a survey of small rural hospitals that use hospitalists, who are physicians, physician assistants, or nurse practitioners who assume responsibility for patient care during inpatient hospital stays.

2011

  • Meaningful Use of Health Information Technology by Rural Hospitals
    Journal Article
    University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 01/2011
    This study examines the current status of meaningful use of health information technology in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and other rural and urban U.S. hospitals, and it discusses the potential role of Medicare payment incentives and disincentives in encouraging CAHs and other rural hospitals to achieve meaningful use.

2010

  • Current Practices and State Regulations Regarding Telepharmacy in Rural Hospitals
    Journal Article
    University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 07/2010
    Telepharmacy practices in rural hospitals in several states were examined, and relevant policies and state laws and regulations were analyzed, along with issues to be addressed as the use of telepharmacy expands.
  • Patient Assessments and Quality of Care in Rural Hospitals
    Policy Brief
    Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 06/2010
    This policy brief analyzes the relationships between rural patients' perspectives of hospital quality of care and key hospital characteristics that may influence patients' experiences of hospital care.
  • Patient Assessments and Quality of Care in Rural Hospitals (Final Report)
    Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 06/2010
    This report analyzes the relationships between rural patients' perspectives of hospital quality of care and key hospital characteristics that may influence patients' experiences. It assesses whether rural patients' perspectives of quality of care are related to quality measures focused on the provision of recommended care for medical conditions.
  • The Effect of Health Information Technology on Quality in U.S. Hospitals
    Journal Article
    University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 04/2010
    This study examines changes in quality of care following adoption of electronic health records among a national sample of U.S. hospitals from 2004 to 2007. The use of computerized physician order entry and electronic health records resulted in significant improvements in two quality measures; larger effects in academic than nonacademic hospitals.

2009

  • Potentially Preventable Readmissions in Rural Hospitals
    Policy Brief
    Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 08/2009
    Using 3-M algorithm software and Medicare inpatient claims data from five states, this brief examines potentially preventable readmission rates for rural and urban hospitals and discusses the rural implications of policy initiatives to reduce readmission rates.
  • Health Information Technology Policy and Rural Hospitals
    Policy Brief
    Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 06/2009
    This brief summarizes the implementation status of key health information technology (HIT) applications in critical access hospitals and other rural hospitals and discusses policies for encouraging HIT adoption in rural hospitals.
  • Rural Issues Related to Comparative Effectiveness Research and Dissemination
    Policy Brief
    Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 06/2009
    This brief describes strategies for expanding clinical research in rural environments; implementing practice guidelines in rural settings; and improving access to current evidence-based information for rural health professionals and patients.
  • Implementation of Telepharmacy in Rural Hospitals: Potential for Improving Medication Safety
    Policy Brief
    Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 03/2009
    This policy brief describes successful telepharmacy activities being implemented in rural hospitals and analyzes policy issues related to the implementation of telepharmacy projects in rural hospitals.

2008

2007

2006

2005

  • Pharmacist Staffing and the Use of Technology in Small Rural Hospitals: Implications for Medication Safety (Full Report)
    Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 12/2005
    This study's results show that many small rural hospitals have limited hours of onsite pharmacist coverage and a significant number don't have a pharmacy computer or don't use one for clinical purposes. Implementation of protocols related to medication use and key medication safety practices are areas where small rural hospitals could improve.
  • Providing Hospice Care in Rural Areas: Challenges and Strategies to Address Them
    Journal Article
    University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 2005

    Hospices in rural settings face challenges in the provision of hospice care as a result of their location and the size of their service area population. To ascertain the challenges that hospices face in serving rural communities, researchers conducted in-depth case studies of four different models of hospice care in rural areas. The authors describe strategies used by the case study hospices and recommend policies that could increase access to hospice care for rural Medicare beneficiaries and other rural residents. National initiatives to improve end-of-life care need to consider the special challenges faced by rural hospices.

2004

  • Do Rural Elders Have Limited Access to Medicare Hospice Services?
    Journal Article
    University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center, Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 05/2004
    Examines whether there are urban-rural differences in use of the Medicare hospice benefit before death and whether those differences suggest that there is a problem with access to hospice care for rural Medicare beneficiaries.