Rural Docs in Practice

I do not know if you and the list know about this resource, but...

Nice public access info and evidence-based site Lehigh Residency in Pennsylvania http://www.myhq.com/public/f/a/familydoc/

http://www.familymdlinx.com/index.cfm is available and has a "rural health" link that gives you daily updates .... also has an academic medical link. Robert W. Smith, M.D., MBA, FAAFP

Presentations In Rural Health retention study, definitely want to review the first 3 on this web page, particularly the recent retention study by Suzanne M Minarick and John C Allen and the one by students

Rural Docs in Nebraska - Info compiled for Students Interested in Rural Careers as requested per Jacqueline Wells at Chadron State. Pages of use to all interested in rural docs, particular reference to Nebraska studies

By the numbers: Rural Doctors and Rural Economies	Retain Rural Doctors
Rural QA examples and links, surgeons, appendectomies	A Family Doctor Affair by Rowley
Contribution of Family Medicine to Underserved Practices	Restoration of Communities, Nations, People: Role of Rural Family Docs
Building a Rural Practice - Article in JRH	The Next Step: Beyond Residency Adapting to Practice
Federalize Liability For Underserved	Federal State Local Efforts
Current Concerns of Rural Physicians	Tools for Community Work
fedstloc/smalltowns.PDF	Rural Public Health
Family Medicine Teaching	Establishing Yourself in a Rural Community
Rural docs do well in preventive care http://www.nrharural.org/search/abs/180.html	Family Medicine Prevention Tools - ideas, forms, etc.
Procedural Newsletters by Rodney www.psot.com	Facts about rural physicians

Clinical Links to Medical Searches and Rural Links Page

Spring 1997 - Volume 13, No. 2. How Rural Physicians Compare on Cost and Quality Measures for Medicaid Ambulatory Care Episodes Janet M. Bronstein, PhD, Victoria A. Johnson, PhD, and Crayton A. Fargason Jr., MD, MM PP. 126-135

ABSTRACT: This study compares the costs and quality of episodes of care for two common childhood illnesses, urinary tract infections (UTI) and otitis media (OM), across providers practicing in rural, small town, and urban counties in Alabama in 1992. The data source is Medicaid claims data for children under age 8 who were treated for these conditions. The study found that episodes cared for by rural providers were less expensive than episodes cared for in other locations, both because fewer rural episodes included outpatient facility charges and because fewer ancillary services were provided in rural settings. Researchers also found that, even controlling for physician characteristics and patient demographic and utilization factors, rural episodes were significantly less likely to include two process measures of quality of care: fewer rural UTI episodes included urine cultures, and fewer rural OM episodes included follow-up visits. This study suggests that, as a group, rural physicians may have a favorable cost profile but a potentially unfavorable care content profile, compared with other physicians. Both practice profile data and explicit care recommendations need to be available to physicians so they can monitor, defend, or alter their clinical practices.