Heart failure & cardiomyopathies
Heart Failure Care and Outcomes After Private Equity Acquisition of U.S. Hospitals
Authors' conclusion
These findings suggest that private equity acquisitions of U.S. hospitals do not improve outcomes among older adults with heart failure, despite a decrease in the clinical risk of patients admitted to these sites.
Study context
- Population
- Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged ≥65 years with HF, US hospitals, 2012–2019
- Participants
- 41 vs 192
- Exposure
- Private equity-acquired hospitals vs matched control hospitals
- Private equity-acquiredn = 41
- Matched controln = 192reference
- Outcome
- Clinical outcomes (30-day mortality and 30-day hospital revisit rates)
- Follow-up
- 30 days
Methodological detailsquasiexperimental difference-in-differences analysis, matched control hospitals
- Quasiexperimental difference-in-differences analysis
- Matched control hospitals
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
30-day mortality and 30-day hospital revisit rates
- 30-day mortality
- DiD +0.7 percentage points (95% CI −0.4 to 1.8)
- 30-day hospital revisit
- DiD −0.2 percentage points (95% CI −0.9 to 0.5)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | DiD (percentage points) (95% CI) |
|---|---|
| Transfer out to another site, Black patients (subgroup) | +7.1 (0.7–13.4) |
| Cardiac catheterization rates | +0.7 (0.1–1.2) |
Transfer out to another site, Black patients (subgroup)
- Overall hospital transfer rates did not change; change not observed across other racial groups
Original publication
Heart Failure Care and Outcomes After Private Equity Acquisition of U.S. Hospitals. J Am Coll Cardiol. Published 9 June 2025. doi:10.
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it