By Dan Morhaim, M.D.
(PIKESVILLE, MD – November 24, 2024) – Private equity firms (PEF) and publicly traded companies (PTC) are now involved in the hospice business. What do you think the outcomes are?
Healthcare has become a cash cow manipulated by the financially sophisticated. PEF and PTC now run hospitals and medical practices, joining insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and others in taking over almost every aspect of the American healthcare system.
Their #1 goal is to maximize profits by reducing access, quality, staff, and services while shifting expenses to others. The result? The US spends more per capita than any other country on healthcare, yet overall health statistics rank at the bottom when compared to other developed nations. There are amazing diagnostics and therapies, to be sure, but millions of Americans are one illness away from bankruptcy, and costs are exorbitant for taxpayers, businesses, and anyone seeking or paying for coverage and care.
These FER and PTC entities have entered the hospice world, and their impact on quality has been studied. The analysis concludes: “Across all CAHPS measures, PEF/PTC-owned hospices demonstrated the lowest performance and not-for-profit hospices the highest performance.”
(CAHPS is Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems)
You can read the details here:
https://jamanetwork.com/
My advice: Hospice services are an essential part of care. If you or a loved one are considering Hospice – and you should when managing advanced and serious illness, then be sure to determine its financial structure before signing up.
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Dan Morhaim, M.D. is the author of “Preparing for a Better End”, Johns Hopkins Press
