Date of Conferral
5-17-2024
Date of Award
5-17-2024
Degree
Doctor of Healthcare Administration (D.H.A.)
School
Health Services
Advisor
Eboni Green
Abstract
The research problem addressed in this study is that it was not known whether differences in 30-day readmission rates among the elderly exist between urban and rural long-term care hospitals in Tennessee. The purpose of this quantitative descriptive study was to determine whether such differences exist. The conceptual framework that guided this study is the Donabedian framework. The research question was addressed that focused on the difference in the rate of potentially preventable hospital readmissions 30 days after discharge and on the difference in the potentially preventable 30-day readmission rates compared to the national preventable 30-day readmission rates. Data were obtained from 202 patients in urban and rural long-term care hospitals in Tennessee whose readmission data have been documented in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services database. The difference in the 30-day readmission rates between the urban hospital and rural hospital was assessed using independent sample t test, and multiple linear regression was used to assess whether being elderly from rural long-term care hospitals predict the likelihood of being readmitted 30 days after discharge. The outcome showed that there is higher number of eligible stays and potentially preventable readmissions in the rural long-term care hospitals compared to the urban long-term care hospitals. Implications for positive social change include the need for interventions that could improve quality care among older adults specifically in Tennessee’s rural areas to reduce the number potentially preventable readmissions.
Recommended Citation
Shaw, LaShunda, "Medicare Expansion and Access to Quality Care in a Rural Long-Term Care Hospital in Tennessee" (2024). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 15813.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/15813
