Title

Rural Health Clinic Efficiency and Effectiveness: Insight from a Nationwide Survey

Authors

Authors

J. Ortiz; N. Meemon; C. Y. Tang; T. T. H. Wan;S. C. Paek

Comments

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Abbreviated Journal Title

J. Med. Syst.

Keywords

Rural Health Clinics (RHCs); Cost efficiency; Rural health; Diabetes; care; HOSPITAL PERFORMANCE; CARE; SYSTEMS; SERVICES; CENTERS; URBAN; COST; Health Care Sciences & Services; Medical Informatics

Abstract

This study reports the results of a nationwide survey of Rural Health Clinics (RHCs). The purpose was to identify factors that contribute to efficiency and effectiveness in RHCs. Factors related to cost efficiency were analyzed using multiple regression; factors related to the likelihood of providing preventive diabetic care, an effectiveness indicator, were analyzed using logistic regression. The study found: (1) technical efficiency to be positively related to cost efficiency; (2) non-profit control to be inversely related to cost efficiency in independent RHCs; and (3) provider-based RHCs and technology use to be related to the likelihood of providing preventive diabetic care. Implications for RHCs are: (1) improvement in technical efficiency could enhance cost efficiency; (2) visits to PAs and NPs, an indicator of process efficiency, may not guarantee the provision of preventive diabetic care; and (3) strategies for improving RHC efficiency and effectiveness may be different for provider-based and independent clinics.

Journal Title

Journal of Medical Systems

Volume

35

Issue/Number

4

Publication Date

1-1-2011

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

671

Last Page

681

WOS Identifier

WOS:000293300600025

ISSN

0148-5598

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