Private equity hospitals draw criticism amid rising evidence of patient harm

A growing body of research reveals that hospitals owned or operated by private equity firms are showing worrying trends such as increased medical complications, declines in patient satisfaction, and elevated mortality rates, according to a new report.

“Private equity seems to really focus on one exclusive goal to the exclusion of everything else, and that is to make money,” said Peter Pitts, the president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, which published the report, “Barbarians at the Hospital Gates: Private Equity and its Impact on Patient Care.”

Over the last two decades, private equity investment in U.S. hospitals has surged, with more than $1 trillion flowing into the broader healthcare industry. Currently, about 20% of for‑profit hospitals are owned or managed by PE