Private equity ownership of health services can worsen care, review says

No consistently beneficial impacts of private equity ownership were identified, the researchers said. Photograph: Portra/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Private equity takeovers of health services worldwide are associated with worse quality of care and higher costs, according to the largest study of its kind.

In the past decade, private equity firms have increasingly invested in, acquired and consolidated healthcare facilities. Globally, healthcare buyouts have exceeded £157bn since 2021 alone.