Rural Health
Research Gateway

Health information technology

Completed Projects

Listed by project completion date. You can also view these projects alphabetically.

2024

  • Ransomware Attacks on Rural Hospitals
    The rise in hospital ransomware attacks threatens to harm patients, especially in rural areas. This project used a novel dataset to analyze rural/urban differences in how ransomware attacks affect patients and hospitals.
    Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Health information technology, Hospitals and clinics

2017

  • State Policy Issues That May Impact HIMs' Success in Rural Places: A Regional Analysis
    Goals of this project include gathering detailed data and providing analysis and policy recommendations on issues relating to network adequacy and service areas for HIMs, with additional investigation of other state-level policy variables (such as the Medicaid expansion decision) which may have a confounding or moderating effect on the relationship between network adequacy and enrollees' choices and premiums.
    Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Topics: Health information technology, Legislation and regulation, Medicaid and CHIP, Private health insurance, Telehealth

2015

  • HIT Workforce Development in Rural-Serving Community Colleges
    This study will describe trends in the number of students completing Health Information Technology (HIT) programs in community colleges located near rural populations in the U.S.; assess the extent to which these programs have incorporated, or plan to incorporate, components of the recently released community college curriculum by the Office of the National Coordinator for HIT (ONC) into their programs; and identify factors that affect the ability of programs to reach rural student populations.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Health information technology, Workforce

2014

  • Assessing HIT Readiness of Rural Health Clinics: A National Survey
    We will design and conduct a national survey of rural health clinics, both independent and provider-based, to determine the current level of health information technology adoption and readiness in these clinics
    Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Health information technology, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)
  • Health Information Technology (HIT) Workforce Needs in Rural America
    Health care increasingly relies on effective health information technology (HIT) to capture and exchange key patient information, and requires a trained workforce to implement this technology. To understand the specific needs and constraints of rural health systems to employ an effective HIT workforce, this study will survey rural primary care clinics across the country to determine their current and projected level of HIT adoption and demand for workers with HIT skills.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Health information technology, Workforce
  • Use of Telehealth to Deliver Services to Rural People and Implications for Public Policy
    This project analyzes national datasets to examine the extent of use of inpatient telehealth services, organizational factors contributing to use, and payment and other policies that limit uptake. This project will identify approaches that could aid spread of this effective delivery approach throughout rural service areas.
    Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Topics: Health information technology, Networking and collaboration, Telehealth

2013

  • Progress Toward Meaningful Use of Health Information Technology Among Rural Physician Practices
    This project will assess progress toward the meaningful use of health information technology among rural physician practices, using several sources of data. This empirical analysis will be supplemented by a qualitative assessment of rural physician practices' experiences with the meaningful use of health IT, working with two quality improvement organizations (QIOs)/Regional Extension Centers (RECs).
    Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Health information technology, Physicians

2009

  • Health Information Technology and Quality in Rural Hospitals
    The purpose of this project is to: 1) examine the adoption of health information technology (HIT) among rural hospitals and identify hospital and market characteristics that facilitate or impede HIT diffusion; 2) measure the effect of HIT on clinical quality in rural hospitals; and 3) identify technologies that may be promoted to improve quality of care in rural areas.
    Research center: Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Health information technology, Hospitals and clinics, Quality

2008

  • Quality Improvement Organizations' Contributions to Rural Hospital Performance
    This qualitative study is designed to gather information on best-practices in Quality Improvement Organization (QIO)-rural hospital partnerships. Specifically, this study will identify successful and replicable examples in which QIOs have worked with rural and critical access hospitals to improve processes of care, implement health information technology and promote organizational safety culture.
    Research center: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
    Topics: Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Health information technology, Hospitals and clinics, Quality
  • Rural Provider Participation in a Statewide Health Information Project
    Nebraska has recently constructed a communication infrastructure that links all the hospitals in the state with broadband, high-speed systems (using T1 lines to the Critical Access Hospitals). That infrastructure is considered to be the backbone for a statewide health information network being designed by a coalition of organizations. The aim of this project is to delineate reasons for rural providers to participate in the coalition by assessing the associated costs and benefits.
    Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
    Topics: Health information technology, Hospitals and clinics, Networking and collaboration
  • Targeted Rural Health Primary Care Research in HIT Adoption and Scope of Use
    This project will conduct a national mail survey of 5,200 primary care practices in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to assess use of various forms of Health Information Technology (HIT) as well as physician-perceived barriers to and facilitators of HIT adoption. It will provide current, relevant data for designing targeted policies to promote expansion of HIT in diverse rural settings.
    Research center: FORHP-funded Individual Grantees
    Topic: Health information technology

2007

  • Investments in Health Information Technology by Rural Hospitals
    This study involved a national survey of rural hospitals conducted in late spring 2006 to gather data about readiness to adopt health IT, current use of different technologies, perceptions about the benefits and barriers to health IT adoption, future implementation plans, use of Federal programs designed to facilitate IT adoption, and interest in various health IT policy options.
    Research center: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
    Topics: Health information technology, Hospitals and clinics

2006

  • Roadmap for the Adoption of Health Information Technology in Rural Communities
    This project developed a resource document intended to help rural health care providers of all types as they think about whether an investment in health information technology makes sense for them and work through various implementation issues. The document was distributed at the September 2006 conference entitled "Health Information Technology: A Rural Provider's Roadmap to Quality," sponsored by ORHP.
    Research center: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
    Topics: Health information technology, Health services