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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 - (7)

  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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 - (15)

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.

2010

  • 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.

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