Rural Hospitals Often Safer, Cheaper for Common Surgeries

“Having a commonplace surgery — such as a gallbladder removal — may be safer when done in a rural hospital compared to a suburban or city hospital, a new study finds.”

“This study gives credence to what rural surgeons long suspected — that well-done rural surgery is safe and cost-effective,” study author Dr. Tyler Hughes said in a University of Michigan news release. Hughes is one of only two surgeons at McPherson Hospital in rural McPherson, Kan., and a director of the American Board of Surgery. Rural hospitals are also called critical access hospitals. They’re the closest option for tens of millions of patients living outside major cities and suburban areas, the researchers said.”

Read the full article: Rural Hospitals Often Safer, Cheaper for Common Surgeries: Study