Staffing Falls, Deaths Rise Post-Acquisition
September 22, 2025
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2 min
7 Key Takeaways
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1
Private-equity acquisitions increased ED deaths by 13% for Medicare patients.
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2
Salary expenditures reduced by 18% in EDs post-acquisition.
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3
Staff cuts affected patient care capacity.
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4
ICU length of stay decreased by 0.2 days, but mortality remained unchanged.
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5
Transfers to acute care hospitals increased from both EDs and ICUs.
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6
Study included over 1 million ED visits and 121,000 ICU hospitalizations.
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7
Staffing levels prior to acquisition were lower than control hospitals.
Private-equity hospital acquisitions have been linked to a 13% increase in emergency department deaths among Medicare patients, equating to seven additional deaths per 10,000 visits. Post-acquisition, salary expenditures dropped significantly in emergency departments and ICUs, alongside a reduction in full-time employees. Although ICU mortality remained unchanged, ICU length of stay decreased. The retrospective study analyzed over 1 million ED visits and 121,000 ICU hospitalizations from 49 private equity hospitals compared to 293 control hospitals from 2009 to 2019. Concerns exist regarding staffing cuts potentially compromising patient safety in critical care settings, as highlighted by Dr. Sneha Kannan from the University of Pittsburgh.
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