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

    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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