Study Finds Worse Health Outcomes in Private Equity-Owned HospitalsNIHCM Foundation
A new study revealed that there was a substantial increase in adverse events occurring while patients were hospitalized, such as falls and infections, at private equity-owned hospitals. The research, conducted by Sneha Kannan, MD, Joseph Dov Bruch, PhD, and Zirui Song, MD, PhD, is the topic of NIHCM’s latest Research Insights. Findings include:
At private equity-owned hospitals, there was a 25% increase in hospital-acquired adverse events among patients, relative to control hospitals.
While the number of surgical procedures declined at private equity-owned hospitals, the rate of surgical site infections doubled.
Patients at private equity-owned hospitals were transferred out to other hospitals more, with those remaining having shorter stays despite more adverse events.
Private equity firms’ involvement in the health care delivery system continues to increase as has attention from concerned policymakers, including a bipartisan investigation launched by the Senate Budget Committee. This study is the first of its kind to analyze adverse conditions and events that occur during a patient’s stay at a private equity hospital, providing a more concrete assessment of the quality of care received at private equity-owned hospitals.
