Heart failure & cardiomyopathiesCohort study
Heart Failure Care and Outcomes After Private Equity Acquisition of U.S. Hospitals
- Retrospective cohort study
- quasiexperimental difference-in-differences analysis
- matched control 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
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:10.1016/j.jacc.2025.05.037
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it