Care riskier for patients at private equity hospitals — Harvard Gazette

Patients are more likely to fall, get new infections, or experience other forms of harm during their stay in a hospital after it is acquired by a private equity firm, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard Medical School.

The research, published Dec. 26 in JAMA, is among a handful of recent nationwide analyses of how private equity takeovers affect the quality of patient care in hospitals. The increases in patient complications are from conditions or outcomes deemed preventable and are key measures of hospital safety and quality.

The findings come amid growing…