Meeting the needs of rural populations through interdisciplinary partnerships

This article describes the organization and outcomes of a Rural Health Outreach Initiative (RHOI) designed to increase collaboration between the medical education and health care delivery sectors to improve the quality of health care delivery and health outcomes in rural communities. Two inter-related partnership strategies were utilized in rural communities to address the health and social service needs of rural populations. The partnerships were created through the efforts of a rural health professions education program located in a community-based medical school. The two partnership models were implemented at the same time and target the same rural populations. Both strategies relied upon interdisciplinary collaborations to achieve their goals and outcomes. One strategy involved the creation of partnerships among rural medical students and the projects they initiate, using the model of community oriented primary care (COPC). The second strategy involved the establishment of partnerships by a variety of rural, community-based entities that resulted from a three-year Health Resources and Services Administration Rural Health Outreach grant that supported a "mini-grant" program. This article summarizes the process and results of these innovative collaborations that occurred at two levels: (1) between health and service institutions representing multiple disciplines and (2) between academic institutions and local communities. Specific attention is given to projects that resulted from the work of the partnerships that address the needs of older adults residing in the rural communities. The two strategies are compared and implications for the success of similar efforts are discussed.     

Development of a Community-Wide Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Assessment Tool for Small Rural Employers in Upstate New York

Employers are implementing workplace health promotion programs that address modifiable health risk factors such as overweight and obesity, smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, physical inactivity, poor diet, and high stress. Research with large employers has found that these programs can improve workers'' health and decrease the costs associated with medical care, absenteeism, and presenteeism. Despite their promise, health promotion programs are not widely embraced by small businesses, especially those in rural communities. This article reviews the barriers encountered by small and rural businesses in implementing health promotion programs. We describe an approach developed in cooperation with the New York State Department of Health''s Healthy Heart Program and the Cayuga Community Health Network to engage small businesses in health promotion. We review the development and implementation of an assessment tool created to evaluate current workplace health promotion programs, policies, and practices targeting cardiovascular disease among small, rural employers in upstate New York. Potential benefits of the assessment tool are discussed, and the instrument is made available for the public.     

Older people's mental health in rural areas: Converting policy into service development,service access and a sustainable workforce

This paper describes the older people's mental health workforce development, policy development and implementation process and quantifies the rural service delivery and access impacts over a 15‐year period in New South Wales. It highlights the factors that are considered to be critical to successful rural service development such as commitment to funding parity, investment in strong local service leadership, and development of innovative, locally adapted rural service models. Building on these foundations, the Older People's Mental Health Program in New South Wales was able to address key challenges relating to service access in rural health and develop new, sustainable specialist older people's mental health service networks. A sustained focus on policy and implementation which explicitly supports rural older people's mental health service enhancement, and development of evidence‐based models of care, has significantly improved access to specialist mental health care for older people in rural areas. It has delivered 23 new rural older people's mental health community teams and a 440% increase in the number of people accessing these teams. It has also doubled the number of acute inpatient units and established new specialist mental health‐residential aged care partnership services in rural New South Wales. It has resulted in increased access to services for the “older old,” while not diminishing older people's rates of access to general adult mental health services. It has also supported innovative, sustainable rural service models such as “hub and spoke” models and step‐up step‐down inpatient services that build on existing health and hospital infrastructure and link geographically dispersed specialist clinicians and services together in rural service delivery.     

Health Care Services for HIV-Positive Substance Abusers in a Rural Setting: An Innovative Program

ABSTRACT

Agencies that deliver health care services to HIV-positive substance abusers living in rural areas of the United States face particular treatment challenges and barriers to care. Rural consumers of HIV/AIDS health care–related services identified long travel distances to medical facilities, lack of transportation, lack of availability of HIV-specific medical personnel, a shortage of mental health and substance abuse services, community stigma, and financial problems as leading barriers to access to care. This article discusses barriers to care for rural HIV-positive substance abusers, and challenges for rural health care providers. In addition, it presents a case study of Health Services Center, a model program that has devised innovative practices in the delivery of health care services to HIV-positive substance abusers in rural northeastern Alabama.     

Are Primary Care Practices Ready to Become Patient‐Centered Medical Homes?

Purpose: To measure the readiness of rural primary care practices to qualify as patient‐centered medical homes (PCMHs), one step toward participating in changes underway in health care finance and delivery. Methods: We used the 2008 Health Tracking Physician Survey to compare PCMH readiness scores among metropolitan and nonmetropolitan primary care practices. The National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA) assessment system served as a framework to assess the PCMH capabilities of primary care practices based on their services, processes, and policies. Findings: We found little difference between urban and rural practices. Approximately 41% of all primary care practices offer minimal or no PCMH services. We also found that large practices score higher on standards primarily related to information technology and care management. Conclusions: Achieving the benefits of the PCMH model in small rural practices may require additional national promotion, technical assistance, and financial incentives.     

Health care services for HIV-positive substance abusers in a rural setting: an innovative program

Agencies that deliver health care services to HIV-positive substance abusers living in rural areas of the United States face particular treatment challenges and barriers to care. Rural consumers of HIV/AIDS health care-related services identified long travel distances to medical facilities, lack of transportation, lack of availability of HIV-specific medical personnel, a shortage of mental health and substance abuse services, community stigma, and financial problems as leading barriers to access to care. This article discusses barriers to care for rural HIV-positive substance abusers, and challenges for rural health care providers. In addition, it presents a case study of Health Services Center, a model program that has devised innovative practices in the delivery of health care services to HIV-positive substance abusers in rural northeastern Alabama.     

Managing rural health care reform

Rural health care requires a response system that is unique and substantially different from other, more traditional systems of health care delivery. Any reform of the present rural health care system must offer services that include the public health sector as well as other aspects of the social "safety net." The authors present a vivid picture of the multiple realities operating in the rural environment, and they explore the opportunity for the creation of Accountable Health Plans suitable for the rural health care delivery mechanism.     

Approach to sustainable primary health care service delivery for rural and remote South Australia

ABSTRACT: We describe the operation of four University Teaching Practices established by the South Australian Centre for Rural and Remote Health (SACRRH) and the Adelaide University Department of General Practice. These practices were established in response to the acknowledged difficulty in recruiting and retaining GPs in rural South Australia. The practices are co-located with a hospital or accident and emergency service and community based nurses and allied health professionals. They provide integrated health care and multidisciplinary health care student placements in a learning environment where students experience rural multidisciplinary practice and country life. The study found that although the sites differed in significant ways, they all provided integrated care and effective placements for students. This style of health care delivery is flexible and broadly applicable. Sustainability is achieved through financially viability, attracting and retaining health care professionals and the development of electronic information systems, to support integrated practice.     

Key considerations in delivering appropriate and accessible health care for rural and remote populations: Discussant overview

Objective:  To provide an overview of papers discussing optimal service delivery models for rural and remote Australia.
Design:  A synthesis of overarching considerations guiding rural and remote health service policies.
Setting:  Small rural and remote communities in Australia.
Participants:  Invited delegates attending the Inaugural Rural and Remote Health Scientific Symposium in Brisbane 2008.
Main outcome measures:  Key issues underpinning health service provision for small rural and remote communities.
Results:  The formulation and implementation of effective health service provision policies must be underpinned by overarching health goals, agreed health service requirements, recognition of how rural and remote health contexts impact upon health service provision and the constraints limiting health service responses.
Conclusion:  Systemic change is required in order to ensure equitable access to health care services in small rural and remote communities.     

Barriers to the utilization of maternal health care in rural Mali

This study used data from the 2001 Demographic and Health Survey and multilevel logistic regression models to examine area- and individual-level barriers to the utilization of maternal health services in rural Mali. The analysis highlights a range of area-level influences on the use made of maternal health services. While the dearth of health facilities was a barrier to receipt of prenatal care in the first trimester, transportation barriers were more important for four or more prenatal visits, and distance barriers for delivery assistance by trained medical personnel and institutional delivery. Women's odds of utilizing maternal health services were strongly influenced by the practices of others in their areas of residence and by living in close proximity to people with secondary or higher education. Household poverty and personal problems were negatively related to all outcomes considered. The results highlight the importance of antenatal care and counseling about pregnancy complications for increasing the likelihood of appropriate delivery care, particularly among women living 15-29 km from a health facility. Area-level factors explained a greater proportion of the variation in delivery care than in prenatal care However, significant area variation in the utilization of maternal health services remained unexplained.     

对我国城市和农村发展全科医疗的探讨

全科医学是一门初级卫生保健领域内的新学科，近30年来在欧美国家蓬勃发展，取得了很大的社会效益和“经济效益”。全科医学在我国医学界属新生事物，存在着许多问题亟待商讨和解决。本文对全科医疗在我国发展的必要性、可行性进行了分析，针对我国城市和农村不同的医疗卫生现状，对在城市和农村开展全科医疗的模式作了探讨，提出在城市建立以二、三级医院为中心、街道地段医院为全科医疗点的辐射式医疗保健网的模式，在农村普遍推广以全科医疗为主的医疗保健模式的观点。以促进我国卫生事业的发展，提高全民健康水平，节约卫生资源，实现“2000年人人享有卫生保健”的目标。     

Rural Hospitals: Trends, Challenges, and. a Future Research and Policy Analysis Agenda

Previous reviews of the status of rural hospitals conclude that rural hospitals play a major role in ensuring the provision of health services in rural areas, are an essential part of the social and economic identity of rural communities, have had mixed success in their ability to respond to environmental threats, and are very sensitive to public policies due, in part, to their small size. The evolving hospital paradigm in the United States and a turbulent economic and health care environment have created an uncertain future for the rural hospital. Hospitals are being forced to shift their emphasis from filling acute inpatient care beds to providing a more diversified set of services through linkages with other institutions and provider groups. This presents challenges for rural hospitals, which often serve as the foundation for health care delivery in rural communities yet struggle to Overcome the effects of troubled local economies, shortages of health professionals, and public policy inequities. This article reviews key trends and challenges facing rural hospitals from the perspective of their structure and organization, financial sustainability, quality of care provided, and strategic linkages with other entities. It concludes with the presentation of a research and policy analysis agenda that addresses the feasibility of the role of the rural hospital as the hub or coordinator of the rural health care delivery system, the fiscal viability of the rural hospital in the post-Balanced Budget Act period, strategies for measuring and improving the qualify of care provided by rural hospitals, and the structure and value of horizontal and vertical linkages of rural hospitals.     

Issues in rural health: access, hospitals, and reform

This overview discusses articles published in this issue of the Health Care Financing Review, entitled "Access to Health Care Services in Rural Areas: Delivery and Financing Issues." These articles focus on the following topics: rural hospitals (including closures, the impact of Federal grants, network development, and costs), managed care in rural areas, telemedicine, and the delivery of mental health services to rural Medicaid beneficiaries.     

The Health Care Home Model: Primary Health Care Meeting Public Health Goals

In November 2010, the American Public Health Association endorsed the health care home model as an important way that primary care may contribute to meeting the public health goals of increasing access to care, reducing health disparities, and better integrating health care with public health systems. Here we summarize the elements of the health care home (also called the medical home) model, evidence for its clinical and public health efficacy, and its place within the context of health care reform legislation. The model also has limitations, especially with regard to its degree of involvement with the communities in which care is delivered. Several actions could be undertaken to further develop, implement, and sustain the health care home.THE AMERICAN PUBLIC HEALTH Association (APHA) has 3 overarching policy priorities: rebuild the public health infrastructure, ensure access to care, and reduce health disparities.1,2 The health care home model contributes to these goals by improving health care delivery at the patient level through redesigning and expanding the scope of primary health care services and improving the interface between primary care practices and public health agencies.In November 2010, APHA endorsed the health care home model of primary care for its public health value. Health care home, a term used by the National Association of Community Health Centers, is a model also referred to as the medical home.3,4 The health care home is a vehicle by which patient- and family-level care at the point of delivery may contribute to meeting population-level goals of improving access to care, reducing health disparities, increasing preventive service delivery, and improving chronic disease management.5 Here we summarize the APHA health care home policy statement and suggest next steps for moving the model forward.     

深化改革 不断推进农村卫生事业健康发展——上海农村卫生50年历史回顾

上海农村卫生事业经过50年的努力,卫生机构从无到有、从小到大,布局和功能日趋完善,科技兴医、学科建设,使医疗机构服务水平不断提高,为广大农民提供了就近、经济、高效的医疗、预防、保健服务。合作医疗制度的发展,保证了农民的基本医疗,减轻了农民忘“大病”的经济风险。初级卫生保健规划全面实施,政府领导、部门负责,社会参与的卫生管理体制已基本形成,农民自我保健能力普遍提高,人均期望寿命等健康指标已达到或接近发达国家水平。切实保护了农民的健康,为发展社会经济创造了良好的条件。     

Analysis of the oral health care model in cities of the state of Pernambuco

The objective of this study was to analyze the oral health care model in nine cities of the state of Pernambuco on the basis of statements of the Oral Health Primary Care Coordinators. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the coordinators for collecting data about the oral health care model adopted by the local authorities, about their activities as coordinators, their qualification, the practices developed by the dental surgeon making part of the Family Health Team, and about basic care procedures and reference and counter-reference networks. The data collected in the interviews were evaluated using a qualitative methodology and a matrix was created for classifying the cities according to the profile of their professionals and the actions and services offered. The results showed that among the analyzed cities three fitted into the category "structured", five into the category "semi-structured" and only one was considered "not-structured". This indicates that the greater of the cities is facing difficulties in structuring oral health care, mainly as refers to incorporation of new care practices and to the professional qualification of dental surgeons and oral health coordinators.     

Building an international network for a primary care research program: reflections on challenges and solutions in the set-up and delivery of a prospective observational study of acute cough in 13 European countries

Background

Primary care providers play an important role in preventing and managing cardiovascular disease. This study compared the quality of preventive cardiovascular care delivery amongst different primary care models.

Methods

This is a secondary analysis of a larger randomized control trial, known as the Improved Delivery of Cardiovascular Care (IDOCC) through Outreach Facilitation. Using baseline data collected through IDOCC, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 82 primary care practices from three delivery models in Eastern Ontario, Canada: 43 fee-for-service, 27 blended-capitation and 12 community health centres with salary-based physicians. Medical chart audits from 4,808 patients with or at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease were used to examine each practice's adherence to ten evidence-based processes of care for diabetes, chronic kidney disease, dyslipidemia, hypertension, weight management, and smoking cessation care. Generalized estimating equation models adjusting for age, sex, rurality, number of cardiovascular-related comorbidities, and year of data collection were used to compare guideline adherence amongst the three models.

Results

The percentage of patients with diabetes that received two hemoglobin A1c tests during the study year was significantly higher in community health centres (69%) than in fee-for-service (45%) practices (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 2.4 [95% CI 1.4-4.2], p = 0.001). Blended capitation practices had a significantly higher percentage of patients who had their waistlines monitored than in fee-for-service practices (19% vs. 5%, AOR = 3.7 [1.8-7.8], p = 0.0006), and who were recommended a smoking cessation drug when compared to community health centres (33% vs. 16%, AOR = 2.4 [1.3-4.6], p = 0.007). Overall, quality of diabetes care was higher in community health centres, while smoking cessation care and weight management was higher in the blended-capitation models. Fee-for-service practices had the greatest gaps in care, most noticeably in diabetes care and weight management.

Conclusions

This study adds to the evidence suggesting that primary care delivery model impacts quality of care. These findings support current Ontario reforms to move away from the traditional fee-for-service practice.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00574808     

Experience of the Checkerboard Area Health System in planning for rural health care.

The design of rural health care delivery systems often is based on concepts obtained from urban models. The implicit planning premises of successful urban models, however, may be inappropriate for many rural systems. An alternative model planned and implemented in the checkerboard region of rural northwest New Mexico has proved to be successful. This experience may be helpful to health care policymakers and planners confronted with environments that are not congruent with typical urban settings. The checkerboard region presented a challenging health planning environment characterized by formidable geographic, population, economic, and health behavior constraints. The Checkerboard Area Health System (CAHS), designed to provide comprehensive services in an area dominated by these constraints, was formed around a central diagnostic and treatment facility with six satellite clinics. The CAHS used an innovative administrative structure, extended the productivity of traditional providers by extensive use of mid-level and ancillary personnel, and created an effective referral network. These features are distinctly different from those of urban health care models. Overall, the CAHS attained a high rate of inpatient use. Additionally, the performance of the outpatient program indicates that traditional ambulatory care can be integrated with other health services that are more oriented toward health promotion and disease prevention. Finally, the emergency room at the central facility has attained an impressive record that, like the inpatient and outpatient areas, is responsive to the needs of the target population.     

Envisioning a learning health care system: the electronic primary care research network, a case study

PURPOSE

The learning health care system refers to the cycle of turning health care data into knowledge, translating that knowledge into practice, and creating new data by means of advanced information technology. The electronic Primary Care Research Network (ePCRN) was a project, funded by the US National Institutes of Health, with the aim to facilitate clinical research using primary care electronic health records (EHRs).

METHODS

We identified the requirements necessary to deliver clinical studies via a distributed electronic network linked to EHRs. After we explored a variety of informatics solutions, we constructed a functional prototype of the software. We then explored the barriers to adoption of the prototype software within US practice-based research networks.

RESULTS

We developed a system to assist in the identification of eligible cohorts from EHR data. To preserve privacy, counts and flagging were performed remotely, and no data were transferred out of the EHR. A lack of batch export facilities from EHR systems and ambiguities in the coding of clinical data, such as blood pressure, have so far prevented a full-scale deployment. We created an international consortium and a model for sharing further ePCRN development across a variety of ongoing projects in the United States and Europe.

CONCLUSIONS

A means of accessing health care data for research is not sufficient in itself to deliver a learning health care system. EHR systems need to use sophisticated tools to capture and preserve rich clinical context in coded data, and business models need to be developed that incentivize all stakeholders from clinicians to vendors to participate in the system.