The purpose of this project was to conduct a meta-analysis that summarizes information about rural-relevant hospital quality measures and alternative methods of dealing with small volume issues.
First, an up-to-date set of rural-relevant hospital quality measures applicable to CAHs that provide certain key services (e.g., inpatient surgery, obstetric care) was prepared and disseminated, including Hospital Compare inpatient and outpatient process of care measures, HCAHPS measures, and additional measures of potential relevance to the small rural hospital environment. Second, a peer-reviewed journal article was prepared that discusses alternative methods of dealing with small volume issues in quality reporting and the implications for CAHs of using these alternative methods for quality reporting.