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).

Jared Perkins, Director of Health Policy Strategy at CAHPR discusses bridging the gap between academia and policymakers, the challenges of navigating health policy under a shifting political climate, and the importance of aligning research with legislative priorities.

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 news article covers the study led by CAHPR researchers who found that state employee health plans could save over $7 billion annually by capping hospital payments at 200% of Medicare rates. The findings suggest that such caps could ease budgetary pressures while minimizing disruptions to hospital operations.

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 news article offers continued coverage on the impact of hospital payment caps and the potential for nationwide savings, based on the Health Affairs study led CAHPR researchers at the Brown University School of Public Health.

This news article provides continued coverage of the study by CAHPR researchers on hospital payment caps, and it's potential for saving billions without harming hospital finances.

The article examines California’s failed attempt to regulate private equity investments in healthcare through AB 3129, which proposed stricter transaction oversight and protections against corporate control of medical practices. It critiques the bill’s limited scope, exemptions, and political challenges while positioning it as a case study for future state-level reforms in addressing healthcare consolidation.

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.

Is Medicare Advantage improving healthcare efficiency or creating higher costs that favor insurers? Hayden Rooke-Ley explores its rapid expansion, questions about cost and care quality, and the challenges of implementing effective regulations.

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.

An increasing number of Medicare Advantage patients, especially those in their final year of life, are switching to traditional Medicare, leading to a significant cost shift from private insurers to taxpayers.

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.

This article explores a study led by Brown University researchers on the billions in potentially redundant payments Medicare Advantage plans receive for veterans primarily cared for by the VA, despite industry claims, like those from UnitedHealthcare, that these payments reflect actual costs.

This article examines lawsuits from Medicare Advantage insurers, who claim minor customer service issues threaten millions in bonuses, while experts like Brown University's David Meyers argue that these cases reveal deeper flaws in a rating system that overstates plan quality without accurately reflecting patient care.

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.

This article explores the study done by Brown researchers on the imapct of Oregon's hospital payment cap and how other US states have an opportunity to implement similar control measures to achieve health savings.