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Who employs your doctor? Increasingly, a private equity firm

nytimes.com

1–10 of 415 posts

Re: Who employs your doctor? Increasingly, a private equity firm

#2
ZocDoc needs a filter "not owned by private equity"

Presumably the effect is -> PE forces doctors to spend less time/thought per patient -> patients receive worse care -> patients change providers

Whoever can provide value to patients to forces "market efficiency" and helps patients and the system as a whole.

Re: Who employs your doctor? Increasingly, a private equity firm

#3
Reminds me of "Does Private Equity Investment in Healthcare Benefit Patients?" [1].

> Our estimates show that PE ownership increases the short-term mortality of Medicare patients by 10%, implying 20,150 lives lost due to PE ownership over our twelve-year sample period. This is accompanied by declines in other measures of patient well-being, such as lower mobility, while taxpayer spending per patient episode increases by 11%. We observe operational changes that help to explain these effects, including declines in nursing staff and compliance with standards.

[1] https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w28474/w284...

Re: Who employs your doctor? Increasingly, a private equity firm

#4
When possible, I prefer people who work for me to have incentives that are aligned with mine. PE-owned medical practices and even many private practices throw that out the window, with financial incentives to do procedures or run tests.

I was talking to my wife’s obstetrician about this last week and he also feels strongly about it. He’s paid a flat salary and gets no financial benefit for a c-section vs. an induction vs. a conventional delivery. I’d like to keep it that way.

Re: Who employs your doctor? Increasingly, a private equity firm

#5
post #3

Reminds me of "Does Private Equity Investment in Healthcare Benefit Patients?" [1]. > Our estimates show that PE ownership increases the short-term mortality of Medicare patients by 10%, implying 20,150 lives lost due to PE ownership over our twelve-year sample period. This is accompanied by declines in other measures of patient well-being, such as lower mobility, while taxpayer spending per patient episode increases…

An absolutely wild and illuminating statement

Re: Who employs your doctor? Increasingly, a private equity firm

#7
I’m the furthest thing from having any knowledge here, but it feels like it should kind of be like how law firms can only have lawyers be owners with the idea that owners need to be aligned with codes of professional conduct/ethical obligations to clients etc

Re: Who employs your doctor? Increasingly, a private equity firm

#8

I’m the furthest thing from having any knowledge here, but it feels like it should kind of be like how law firms can only have lawyers be owners with the idea that owners need to be aligned with codes of professional conduct/ethical obligations to clients etc

This is true for the veterinary world, probably other professions too.

The result is that a veterinarian owns the business on paper, but the PE fund can take over or replace them as needed.

Re: Who employs your doctor? Increasingly, a private equity firm

#9
america, unsatisfied with spending vastly more privately on healthcare than the rest of the world, while also spending more publicly on healthcare than the rest of the world, continues to find ways to make healthcare yet more expensive and ruinous for its citizens.
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