How private-equity-backed hospitals stack up against other facilities

Private equity deals in health care have consistently increased in recent years, totaling nearly $80 billion last year. A new study outlining differences between hospitals owned by private equity firms versus those that aren't finds that the former pulled in $2.3 million more in average income per year between 2005-2017. These hospitals also charged more for hospital stays, and saw a decrease in the proportion of patients covered by Medicare. At the same time, private-equity-backed hospitals also saw improvements in scores for heart attacks and pneumonia treatment. Over the same time, hospitals without that investment saw a decrease in quality scores for treatment of heart failure, but no change for heart attack or pneumonia care.