Workshop on the Future of Rural Health: A Quality Focus
Committee on the Future of Rural Health Care
National Academies Keck Center, Conference Room 100
500 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
March 1-2, 2004
AGENDA

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Monday, March 1

Welcome and Introductions
Mary Wakefield, Chair

Welcoming Remarks
Carolyn Clancy, Director, AHRQ
Elizabeth Duke, Administrator, HRSA
Charles Curie, Administrator, SAMHSA (invited)

Purpose and Goals of the Workshop
Mary Wakefield

SESSION ONE

Overview
Brent James, Institute for Health Care Delivery Research, Intermountain Health Care, Inc.
View slides

• How do we provide quality health care to rural populations: taking into consideration both the external environment and internal characteristics;
• What questions need to be considered to successfully build quality health care systems with a  population-based focus in rural communities;
• How do we overcome the challenges in rural and frontier areas in order to move the quality agenda forward

(followed by discussion)

SESSION TWO

Population Health:  A Rural Perspective
Facilitator:  Tim Size
Panel:         
Larry Gamm, School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M University
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Michael Beachler, Director, Rural Health Policy Center
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• How can we allocate and deliver resources in a way that targets populations?
• How can we most effectively reduce disparities in health status, health risk factors, and minority status issues of rural populations?
• What needs to be in place to enhance the overall health status of rural populations?
• What are the challenges in implementing chronic disease management for rural populations?

(followed by discussion)

SESSION THREE

Interaction of People with Technology
Facilitator:  Don Detmer
Panel:         
David Kibbe, Director, Center for Health Information Technology, American Academy of Family Physicians
Ravi Nemana, Director, IT Research, The Health Technology Center
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• What are the promises and limitations of  enhancing information and communication technology in rural communities;
• What is the current status of the use of electronic health records and telemedicine in delivering and monitoring health care in rural and frontier areas;
• What challenges do rural communities face in advancing these capabilities and what needs to be done to move forward given rural characteristics:
• What are the factors that limit its enhancement,
• How can communication technologies be used to improve delivery of health care and health care information to rural populations;
• How do we improve communication among clinicians and between clinicians and consumers

(followed by discussion)

SESSION FOUR

Workforce:  Training, Deployment, Support
Facilitator:  Roger Rosenblatt
Panel:         
Howard Rabinowitz, Professor of Family Medicine, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University
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Kathleen Buckwalter, Associate Provost, University of Iowa
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• What is the capacity in rural areas recruiting and training;
• How best to identify students who will return to rural areas;
• What are the public policy strategies to incent schools to move providers to practice in rural and frontier areas;
• What are the core competencies as they relate to the rural context;
• Is rural education and training capacity declining?
• How do we strengthen interdisciplinary teamwork?

(followed by discussion)

SESSION FIVE

Payment for Quality Performance:  Rural Realities
Facilitator:  Clinton MacKinney
Panel:         
Robert Galvin, Corporate Health and Medical Programs, General Electric Company
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Stuart Guterman, Director, Office of Research, Development, and Information, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, DHHS

• How do we use payment to drive quality in rural areas;
• What are the payment models successfully driving health care change in populations;
• What is the experience of CMS’s pay for performance demonstrations;
• How does the program consider low volume issues in some areas;
• What are the measurement issues?
• What is the role of private payers, Medicare, report cards, transparency?

(followed by discussion)

Tuesday, March 2

SESSION SIX

Achieving the Six Aims of Quality for Rural and Frontier Communitiees: Safe, Effective, Patient-centered, Timely, Efficient, Equitable
Facilitator:  Andy Coburn
Panel:
Cathleen Pfaff, Vice President, Clinical Services, Cyprus Healthcare, LLC
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Richard Palagi, CEO, St. John's Lutheran Hospital
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Pamela Wirth, VP/CIO, Susquehanna Health System
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(followed by discussion)

General Discussion
Moderator:  Mary Wakefield

Concluding Remarks
Mary Wakefield

Adjourn