04 Sep Closures of Rural Hospitals Increases Mortality
NIH Study Highlights Impacts of ED Openings and Closures for Heart Attack Patients
A new study funded by the National Institutes of Health shows the impacts of rural hospitals opening and closing, decreasing and increasing travel time, respectively. The study found that when a new emergency department opens within 30 minutes of the next closest hospital, the one-year mortality rate for heart attack patients decreases by 5%. When emergency departments close and travel time is increased to 30 minutes or above, the one-year mortality rate for heart attack patients increases by a staggering 8%. To read the full NIH news release on the study, click here.
New research has found that rural hospital closures have increased mortality by 5.9% overall. In comparison, the study found that urban hospital closures had no impact on mortality. The paper, from the National Bureau of Economic Research analyzed inpatient mortality in California, from 1995-2011. Click here to read the full paper.