Study shows positive outcomes in critical access hospitals

A new study in the Journal of American Medical Association that examined the surgical outcomes and expenditures for Medicare beneficiaries in critical access hospitals (CAHs) found that patients in CAHs had outcomes equal to or better than their non-CAH counterparts. The study found that surgical patients admitted at CAHs had no significant difference in 30-day mortality rates, decreased risk-adjusted serious complication rates and lower-adjusted Medicare expenditures. However, patients were less medically complex. According to the study’s authors, these findings “contrast previously published literature about nonsurgical admissions in these same settings and inform legislators about the valuable role critical access hospitals provide in the U.S. health care system.” Read more here. (Jacqueline Barton True)