Small, rural hospitals lag on some quality measures

By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Although fewer people are dying shortly after treatment for heart attacks, heart failure and pneumonia at most U.S. hospitals than a decade ago, the same trend doesn’t apply to certain small, rural facilities, a new study suggests. So-called critical access hospitals – which have no more than 25 beds and are typically miles from the nearest other hospital – are exempt from reporting those sort of quality and outcomes data to the government. …