Study: Rural hospitals that merged or were bought saw death rates drop

MedCity News September 26, 2021
Anuja Vaidya

The mortality rates at rural hospitals for certain conditions, including heart attacks and stroke, decreased in the years following a merger or an acquisition compared with facilities that remained independent, a new study shows. This is a departure from research done on the effects of M&A on urban hospitals.

Patients admitted to rural hospitals that had merged or been acquired had better mortality outcomes than those admitted to facilities that remained independent, according to a new study.

More specifically, the risk of death for patients admitted for heart attacks decreased more at merged hospitals than at their non-merged counterparts in the one year after the merger. This trend held for up to four years post-merger.

Published in JAMA Network Open...

Today's Sponsors

Today's Sponsor