Heart Attack Survival Odds Better at Teaching Hospitals.

Elderly patients treated for heart attack at teaching hospitals are more likely to survive and receive better quality care than those treated at hospitals that do not train physicians, according to a new study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The study, which was conducted by University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers, found that Medicare patients aged 65 years and older who received care for myocardial infarction at teaching hospitals were more likely to still be alive two years after being discharged than were similar patients treated at non-teaching hospitals. Further analysis revealed that most of the teaching hospital patients' lower heart attack death rate was due to having received superior care.

Commenting on the findings, John M. Eisenberg, MD, AHRQ's Director said, "This study underscores the importance of vigorously evaluating the outcomes and effectiveness of how and where we deliver health care services. This is just as critical to improving health care quality as studying the outcomes and effectiveness of different medical treatments."

James A. Hawkins is Publisher of Healthcare Briefings, a newsletter available in print, on cassette, via fax, and an computer disk.