Study: Deaths, Hospital Stays And Costs Decrease Among Americans On Medicare
USA Today says the findings are "jaw-dropping," and experts quoted in other news stories say the results reported in this JAMA study indicate "remarkable progress."
'Jaw-Dropping': Medicare Deaths, Hospitalizations AND Costs Reduced
The U.S. health care system has scored a medical hat trick, reducing deaths, hospitalizations and costs, a new study shows. Mortality rates among Medicare patients fell 16% from 1999 to 2013. That’s equal to more than 300,000 fewer deaths a year in 2013 than in 1999, said cardiologist Harlan Krumholz, lead author of a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and a professor at the Yale School of Medicine. (Szabo, 7/28)
Health Care Improving For Older Americans
The number of deaths, hospital stays and healthcare costs decreased among older Americans on Medicare over the past 15 years, according to a new study. "Although our health care system has its failings, we are making remarkable progress," said Dr. Harlan Krumholz, the study's lead author from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. (Seaman, 7/28)
Happy 50th Birthday, Medicare. Your Patients Are Getting Healthier
Here's a bit of good news for Medicare, the popular government program that's turning 50 this week. Older Americans on Medicare are spending less time in the hospital; they're living longer; and the cost of a typical hospital stay has actually come down over the past 15 years, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. (Harris, 7/28)