New research suggests rural providers are ahead on care coordination and infection prevention, according to an article on the Fierce Healthcare website.
Researchers from the Department of Health and Human Services found on hospital-acquired infection reduction, only 14 percent of rural facilities were penalized during the study period, compared to 26 percent of urban providers.
HHS officials attribute this in part to superior care coordination work on the part of rural providers, enabled by small referral and post-acute care provider networks that “can encourage collaboration across care types and settings."
However, the report found urban providers remain far ahead of their rural counterparts on readmission reduction.