Is Going to a Private-Equity Owned Hospital Bad for Your Health?
Private equity investment in health care has increased more than 20-fold—from $5 billion in 2000 to approximately $120 billion in 2024. At present, PE firms own or control nearly 7% of all non-government hospitals in the U.S., raising pressing questions for policymakers and antitrust enforcers alike. Are these deals truly about delivering operational efficiencies—or are they primarily vehicles for financial engineering?
In this talk, Prof. Cooper will present new empirical evidence on how patients fare at PE-owned hospitals and examine the impact of private equity acquisitions on health spending and clinical outcomes. He will also discuss the competitive implications: how PE ownership may alter incentives around pricing, quality, and investment; how PE acquisitions of hospitals intersect with concerns about common ownership and control; and the implications for traditional efficiency defenses in PE-backed mergers.
Speaker:
Zack Cooper, Senior Consultant, Charles River Associates
Moderator:
Steven Tenn, Vice President, Charles River Associates
Hosts:
Adriana de la Huerta, Principal, Charles River Associates
Isabel Tecu, Principal, Charles River Associates
To RSVP, click here.
