By Daniel R. Arnold, Brent D. Fulton, Ola A. Abdelhadi, et al | Published June 20, 2025 in JAMA Health Forum | Link to Full Article
“Physician practices in the US are rapidly being acquired by private equity (PE) firms. A recent study found a 6-fold increase in the number of PE acquisitions of physician practices between 2012 and 2021. These acquisitions are occurring in many specialties, with the highest share of physicians working in practices owned by PE firms occurring in gastroenterology (13.1%). This acquisition activity has also been reported in studies published in gastroenterology specialty journals. While the influx of capital from PE has the potential to create technological and operational efficiencies, many have feared that PE’s short-term financial incentives may negatively impact health care prices, quality, or access.”