Care management

Current Projects

• Changes in Medicare Fee-for-Services Health Care Expenditures in Rural and Urban Communities after Passage of the Affordable Care Act
  This project will assess changes in Medicare per-beneficiary spending across rural and urban counties from 2007 to 2020. It will examine differences in rural versus urban per-beneficiary spending on hospital inpatient, hospital outpatient, physician, and post-acute care after the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
  Research center: University of South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Care management, Chronic diseases and conditions, Health services, Hospitals and clinics, Public health
  
• Disparities in Screening, Prevention, and Management of Cardiovascular Disease in Rural and Urban Primary Care
  This study will use a large national primary care registry to compare cardiovascular disease (CVD) screening, prevention, and management quality measures between rural and urban primary care practices. It will also assess for disparities by patient composition of the practice.
  Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Topics: Care management, Chronic diseases and conditions, Health promotion and disease prevention, Health services, Physicians, Quality
  
• Examining Post-Acute Care Utilization and Outcomes for Rural Medicare FFS and Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries
  This study will describe differences in post-acute care utilization and post-discharge outcomes between rural Medicare Fee-for-Service beneficiaries and rural Medicare Advantage beneficiaries overall, by region of the country, and levels of rurality.
  Research center: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Care management, Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Healthcare access, Home health, Medicare, Medicare Advantage (MA), Post-acute care
  
• Rural and Urban Sepsis Outcomes as a Measure of Health Care Quality: A Nationwide Comparative Analysis Using HCUP Data
  This study examines differences in sepsis prevalence, outcomes, costs, and treatment between rural and urban hospitals using the HCUP Nationwide Readmissions Database. It aims to inform policies related to access to timely, high-quality sepsis care and identify strategies to enhance healthcare outcomes across diverse hospital settings.
  Research center: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Care management, Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Healthcare access, Hospitals and clinics, Medicaid and CHIP, Medicare, Medicare Advantage (MA), Private health insurance, Quality, Social determinants of health
  
• Rural/Urban Differences in Forgoing Health Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic
  Several surveys conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic showed that adults delayed or skipped healthcare services during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examines changes in healthcare utilization for primary and preventative care among rural and urban Medicare fee-for-service enrollees since the COVID-19 pandemic.
  Research center: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Aging, Care management, Chronic diseases and conditions, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Diabetes, Health promotion and disease prevention, Health services, Medicare, Mental and behavioral health, Telehealth
  
• Specialist Physicians in the Rural and Urban U.S.: Supply, Distribution, and Access
  This project will describe the geographic distribution (rural/urban, regional, and intra-rural) of specialist physicians who care for patients experiencing conditions that account for the top four leading causes of rural mortality. It will also explore how patients in rural communities that lack these specialists obtain needed care.
  Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Cancer, Care management, Chronic diseases and conditions, Frontier health, Health services, Healthcare access, Physicians, Social determinants of health, Telehealth, Workforce