The Trump administration's push for deregulation threatens to accelerate vertical integration in healthcare. Brown University professor, Dr. Christopher Whaley warns from existing research how this may lead to referrals to more expensive hospitals ultimately leading to higher costs, reduced competition, and financial strain on independent hospitals, particularly in rural areas as the article discusses.

The article covers a study published in JAMA Health Forum by Yashaswini Singh and colleagues on the increasing affiliation of primary care physicians with hospitals and private equity firms, leading to higher patient costs without clear improvements in care quality or physician compensation.

This article discusses a study led by Dr. Yashaswini Singh and published in JAMA Health Forum on trends in physician practice ownership, showing a significant shift from independent practices to corporate ownership, as well as the associated price increases, with hospital and PE-affiliated practices charging higher fees, and its implications for healthcare costs and quality.

This article highlights the study led by Dr. Yashaswini Singh on the growing affiliation of primary care physicians with hospitals and private equity firms along with increasing healthcare costs that come with these affiliations.

Physicians, traditionally less unionized, are aligning with nurses and other healthcare workers due to shared grievances over understaffing, burnout, and corporate cost-cutting practices exacerbated by the pandemic. Hayden Rooke-Ley comments on this trend highlighting his study that found that the number of physician unions formed between January 2023 and May 2024 nearly equaled those established over the previous two decades (2000–2022).

A new Harvard Medical School study found that patient satisfaction declines after PE takeovers due to cost-cutting measures, including staffing reductions. Dr. Yashaswini Singh from CAHPR comments on how patient experiences are crucial to understanding the broader effects of PE in healthcare, a frequently underrated aspect in studies on PE's impact on healthcare.

The article discusses the proposed merger of Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and Legacy Health, which has drawn significant criticism for potentially violating federal antitrust standards. Advocates argue the merger would lead to excessive market consolidation in Oregon, controlling a majority of hospitals in key regions and potentially driving up healthcare costs without improving access or quality.

This article highlights a study led by Dr. Christopher Whaley that shows that while system affiliation helps improve CAHs’ financial stability, it often results in higher prices for patients.

This article explores the study by researchers from Johns Hopkins University and CAHPR at Brown University, which examines financial disparities between critical access hospitals (CAHs) and larger acute care hospitals from 2016 to 2022. The study highlights significant financial disparities, showing that system-affiliated critical access hospitals (CAHs) achieved higher operating margins than independent ones and highlights the need to balance financial sustainability with the risks of uneven care access and higher prices.

This article dives into the controversial world of private equity in healthcare, where profit-driven strategies lead to higher patient costs and declining care quality. This article examines real examples, from staffing cuts to surprise billing, and explores how these changes threaten physician autonomy and the stability of U.S. healthcare.

This article highlights a study by Christopher Whaley showing how hospitals have received billions in extra payments by documenting care at higher levels of complexity than expected. This practice, known as "upcoding," raises concerns about the incentives in current payment systems and their impact on rising healthcare costs.

The article written by CAHPR researchers, emphasizes the opportunity for Congress, in its final weeks of the 118th session, to advance healthcare affordability and transparency through the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act (LCMT) and the Health Care PRICE Transparency Act 2.0

UnitedHealth Group's insurance arm, UnitedHealthcare, pays its own Optum physician practices significantly higher rates than other providers in the same markets, driving up costs for consumers and employers while enriching itself. This practice highlights the conflicts of interest and anti-competitive effects of vertical integration in healthcare, raising calls for regulatory intervention.

This article outlines six key points about Oregon's regulatory review of the OHSU-Legacy merger. Hayden Rooke-Ley's critique of the OHSU-Legacy merger, emphasizing how OHSU's broad market definition may obscure significant anticompetitive risks, presenting a critical test for Oregon's Health Care Market Oversight program.

This article examines the Oregon Health Authority's comprehensive review of the proposed merger between OHSU and Legacy Health, highlighting key concerns about market concentration, potential cost increases, and the future of health care access and competition in the region.

The article exposes Ralph de la Torre's misuse of private equity-backed Steward Health for personal gain while highlighting the broader issue of private equity's damaging impact on healthcare, with legislative efforts for reform largely stymied by political and lobbying pressures.

This article explores how private equity firms have taken control of many U.S. emergency rooms, prioritizing profit by reducing physician hours, replacing doctors with less qualified staff, and inflating costs, resulting in compromised patient care and increased bills, despite regulatory efforts like the No Surprises Act.

Christopher Whaley testified before Congress, highlighting the urgent need of health care price transparency and its role in combating high healthcare costs in the US and enhancing policy decision-making.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, addressed the House Committee on Ways and Means on why the U.S. is seeing a decline in private medical practices and what we can do about it.

Healthcare consolidation is fueled by the need for pricing power and financial stability under value-based care, but experts warn this trend threatens competition and transparency, calling for stronger oversight and legislative action.

The PE firm, Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe has been released from the ongoing case against U.S. Anesthesia Partners, for monopolization in Texas. What does this mean for PE firms and antitrust scrutiny?

Is private equity good AND bad? Listen to experts including Dr. Yashaswini Singh talk about private equity with a nuanced approach.

This article featuring Chris Whaley delves into whether the Valley Children's Hospital's actions align with its mission and the nonprofit ethos it claims to uphold.

Erin Fuse Brown weighs in on the potential impact of the FTC's new rules against noncompete agreements, analyzing how this significant shift could empower healthcare workers and reshape the dynamics of the industry.

Amidst a silent surge of corporate takeovers in healthcare, Yashaswini Singh offers crucial insights into how these acquisitions are quietly transforming patient care and escalating costs, often beyond the public eye.

Oregon bill, HB 4130, aims to impose some of the strictest limits on corporate ownership of primary care and specialty clinics, targeting the influence of large companies and private equity firms.

This article looks at how private equity firms are increasingly employing "straw doctors" to circumvent restrictions on corporate ownership of medical practices -- threatening the quality of patient care and the integrity of the medical profession.

Ashish Jha casts a critical eye on the influence of private equity in healthcare, illuminating how these acquisitions not only escalate costs but also fundamentally reshape the quality and accessibility of medical care.

Yashaswini Singh and Christopher Whaley comment on the escalating presence of private equity in healthcare, exploring the compelling reasons doctors are selling their practices and the profound ripple effects this trend casts across the health care landscape.

Payer-led consolidation is understudied but a growing trend. Read Dr. Yashaswini Singh's thoughts on the corporization of healthcare.

Dr. Yashaswini Singh comments on the newly released health policy efforts by the Biden Administration on lowering drug prices and improving ownership transparency

Brown and Lifespan aim to strengthen their partnership in 2024. Read here to learn more about this potential partnership.

Dr. Christopher Whaley and Erin Fuse Brown from CAHPR give their thoughts on General Catalyst, a VC firm which unusually plans to buy a health system

Watch the full discussion from our launch event

A unique lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission that alleges a private equity sponsor and the company of creating a monopoly.