Defining Rurality in Medicare Administrative Data

Datos Bibliográficos

ID9101015
AutoresJohn E Snyder (0000-0002-6569-7991, US Health Resources and Services Administration, autor de correspondencia), Matthew Jensen (0000-0002-5153-8543, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC), Nguyen X Nguyen (0000-0002-8153-7779, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC), Clara E Filice (Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC), Karen E Joynt (Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC)
Año2017
Volumen55
Número12
Páginase164-e169
Fecha de publicación2017-12-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaMedical Care (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0025-7079 • E-ISSN: 1537-1948
EditorialOvid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1097/mlr.0000000000000607
PMID29135781
OpenAlexW2512903284
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas2
Referencias citadas15

Rural beneficiaries make up nearly one quarter of the Medicare population, yet rural providers and patients face specific challenges with health and health care delivery that remain inadequately understood. Health disparities between rural and urban residents are widespread, barriers to health care in rural communities persist, and the rural health care workforce is limited. To better understand and track the relationship between rurality and performance under Medicare’s payment programs, researchers must be able to identify rural beneficiaries, providers, and hospitals. Although numerous definitions of rurality are applied across the Medicare program, empirical research is lacking comparing the different definitions of rurality and the impact of their application to quality, outcome, or costs. Definitions that recognize rurality as a graded concept, rather than a dichotomous one, hold promise. Understanding the strengths and limitations of different approaches to identifying rurality will help researchers choose the best method for their particular purpose, and help policymakers interpret studies using these approaches

Business · Economic growth · Economics · Geography · Health care · Payment · Quarter (Canadian coin) · Rural area · Rurality · Workforce · Global Health Workforce Issues · Healthcare Policy and Management · Medicine · Nursing · Primary Care and Health Outcomes