We need to talk about what's happening in healthcare.

We need to talk about what's happening in healthcare.

Private equity firms now own nearly 10% of physician practices in the U.S. That happened in less than a decade. They own 30% of for profit hospitals in US or more than 450. And its up from 380 one year ago. A recent report from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Private Equity Stakeholder Project showed the graph below.

Why should you care? Because these are not just numbers—they're your doctors, your care, your health.

PE firms are making decisions driven by profits, not patient care. It’s a business model that prioritizes cost-cutting and efficiency over the quality of care. I don't 'blame' PE because they're in the business of making returns for their investors, or Limited Partners. Having been on Wall Street at Citi early in my career, we were never shy about our mission and objective: to make money. But with this trend, is this where healthcare should go? And at what cost?

The PE playbook works like this. Once acquiring a practice, a series of events occurs that impacts the care delivery value chain--both providers and patients. We’re seeing it everywhere: fewer staff with layoffs, shorter visits, and increased pressure on physicians to see more patients in less time. Not to mention declining reimbursement YOY. The very essence of what it means to be a healthcare provider is being squeezed out. It's why I went my own path to change the system and be a change agent.

Healthcare is not a commodity. It's a service, a relationship, a trust.

The question is, how much longer are we going to let this happen?