A recent study of hundreds of American hospitals, led by Harvard Medical School and others, uncovered that patient death rates increased in ERs acquired by private equity firms. When compared with non-private equity emergency rooms, an increased mortality rate was found.
The research team published its results in Annals of Internal Medicine. It shows that the for-profit ownership model can lead to declines in patient safety. It also showed that private-equity-owned ERs saw higher rates of patient transfers and shorter ICU stays after the hospital was acquired.
The study showed:
- A 13.4% increase in patient deaths in hospital ERs acquired by private equity.
- Private equity hospitals drastically cut staffing and salary spending (by 18% in EDs, 16% in ICUs, and 11.6% across hospital wide). This reduced capacity likely explains the other findings in the study that patients seen by the private equity hospitals were more likely to be transferred to other hospitals and have shorter ICU stays.
We’re standing up for patient safety no matter who owns the ER. Private equity has increasingly sought to replace physicians with lesser-trained practitioners. This erodes patient safety and the nation’s healthcare standards.
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