This week, a study was published in JAMA Open Network showing that rural hospitals acquired by larger systems between 2009 and 2016 had lower mortality rates in several areas between. It's a valuable dataset showing how consolidation and a relationship with another system can help to improve care. But before hospitals start running around, waving the study in the air as vindication, we thought it would be good to look more closely at exactly how it and positive data like it can be used most effectively for hospitals considering a deal, as well as really anyone who's advocating for hospitals. David Shifrin jumped on a call with Isaac Squyres, a partner at Jarrard in the Regional Practice and lead on much of the firm's merger and acquisition work, to get his thoughts. For more on rural healthcare, please check out a project we've been supporting called the Rural Healthcare Initiative (ruralhealthcareinitiative.org). And of course, subscribe to all of our thinking here at Jarrard by going to jarrardinc.com/pod.

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