Wakefield M, Coburn A, Moscovice I; AcademyHealth. Meeting (2005 : Boston, Mass.).
Abstr AcademyHealth Meet. 2005; 22: abstract no. 3876.
University of North Dakota, Center for Rural Health, PO Box 9037, Grand Forks, ND 58202-9037 Tel. (701) 777-3848 Fax
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: This paper provides an overview of the background, results, and recommendations of the Institute of Medicines recently issued report in its Quality Chasm series, Quality through Collaboration: The Future of Rural Health. STUDY DESIGN: The IOM report examines the challenges of and opportunities for achieving the vision and six aims for quality set forth in the Quality Chasm report. The report was developed by a committee of experts and IOM staff based on a comprehensive review of the research literature and evidence base on rural quality and quality improvement. The committee and its report focused on four major areas of the health system which are vital for achieving improvements in quality and safety in rural America: quality improvement strategies and systems, human resources, finance, and health information technology. POPULATION STUDIED: This paper address rural populations. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The IOM reports recommendations take into account the fundamental fact that the health and health system problems faced by rural communities and health systems differ from those in urban areas and that quality improvement and safety initiatives must be tailored to fit the unique health system, IT, human resources and other characteristics and circumstances of rural health systems and communities. The report and its recommendation articulate and reflect a framework for addressing quality improvement in rural areas that incorporates an explicit population health perspective. This paper reviews that framework and the four primary findings and 12 recommendations of the IOM report and discusses their implications for health policy and practice. CONCLUSIONS: The IOM report concludes that quality improvement in rural health must focus on both personal and population health. Rural health systems quality improvement must take an integrated approach that identifies priorities for personal health and population health improvement and carefully considers the appropriate and necessary allocation of resources to achieve those ends. Moreover, investments and changes in financing strategies will be needed to build the quality improvement, human resource, and HIT infrastructure that is critical to helping rural health systems and communities response to the quality imperative. IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY, DELIVERY OR PRACTICE: Rural health has been the focus of American health policy for over 50 years. This IOM report is the first to systematically and comprehensively examine the question of how health and healthcare quality can be improved in rural America. The reports innovative and bold framework and recommendations have broad implications for policy, practice and research, many of which are clearly spelled out in the reports recommendations. In addition to reviewing the reports framework and recommendations, this paper will clearly identify the policy, practice and research challenges that we face in pursuing the reports recommendations.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Efficiency, Organizational
- Health Planning Guidelines
- Health Policy
- Health Services Needs and Demand
- Humans
- Organizational Culture
- Organizational Innovation
- Organizational Objectives
- Quality of Health Care
- Rural Population
- Safety Management
- methods
- organization & administration
- hsrmtgs
UI: 103623339
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