Mortality rates dropped 33% at NYC hospital after NYU Langone merger, study finds

In-hospital mortality rates decreased by 33 percent at New York City-based NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn — previously named Lutheran Medical Center — after it merged with NYU Langone Health, a Jan. 6 study published in JAMA Network Open found.

NYU Langone Health acquired the hospital in 2016. The study analyzed outcomes for 181,252 nonpsychiatric, nonrehabilitation and non-newborn patients discharged between Sept. 1, 2010, and Aug. 31, 2019, at the hospital.

The study found fewer central infections per 1,000 catheter days and fewer catheter-associated urinary tract infections per 1,000 discharges. More patients were likely to recommend the hospital after the merger than before.

The study did not find any significant improvements in readmission rates.

"Our study shows that when a hospital merger has a comprehensive strategy, focuses on quality and involves meaningful operational integration, outcomes can be significantly improved at the acquired hospital," lead study author Erwin C. Wang, MD, said in Jan. 6 news release by NYU Langone Health.