Private equity hospital acquisitions linked to worse pulmonary patient outcomes
· News-MedicalA large new study presented at the 2026 ATS International Conference shows that patients treated for COPD or pneumonia experience worse outcomes across several important measures when they are treated at hospitals that have been acquired by private equity firms.
Notably, patients with pneumonia are more likely to die during their stay in hospitals that have been acquired by private equity than in other hospitals. At the same time, patients with COPD are more likely to revisit the hospital within the first 30 days compared to patients at other hospitals.
Stephen Mein, MD, first author, pulmonologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and researcher at the Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Center for Outcomes Research, BostonOur findings add to growing concerns around the detrimental effects of private equity in health care and highlight a critical need for stronger regulations of these acquisitions to protect our patients."
"The rise in deaths among patients hospitalized with pneumonia is especially concerning," Dr. Mein said. "While a 1-percentage-point increase may sound small, it represents a substantial change when the typical in-hospital mortality rates for patients with pneumonia is only 3 percent to 4 percent."
Dr. Mein noted that private equity firms are incentivized to generate profits over short time periods, a goal that may not always align with delivering high-quality care.
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