Analysis: Hospitals’ heart attack death rates drop

USA Today, July 7, 2010

Heart attack death rates have dropped markedly in U.S. hospitals, according to an analysis of Medicare data released today. Death rates at 4,569 hospitals that treat Medicare patients who suffer heart attacks fell by almost half a percentage point, from a national average of 16.6% last year to 16.2%. Death rates for most hospitals ranged from about 14.5% to 17.9%. Hospitals all along the spectrum, including those with the lowest and highest death rates, achieved similar declines, the data show. Ninety-five U.S. hospitals had death rates lower than the national rate of 16.2%; 45 had death rates that topped it.