Study: Mortality Rates Fall at Non-Critical Access Hospitals
Mortality rates among patients during the month after they received treatment for pneumonia, heart attacks and heart failure at non-critical access hospitals declined by nearly 2% over the past decade, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. However, mortality rates at critical access hospitals increased by an average of 0.1% per year. Researchers credited advances in technology and treatment for the drop in mortality at non-CAHs.
- "Small, Rural Hospitals Lag on Some Quality Measures " (Pittman, Reuters, 4/2).
- "Death Rates Rise at Geographically Isolated Hospitals, Study Finds" (Rau, USA Today/Kaiser Health News, 4/2).
- "Mortality Worse at Critical Access Hospitals" (Gever, MedPage Today, 4/2).