Financially Unhealthy Healthcare

Merely keeping the lights on for hospitals and private practices has become a high-wire act, with rural providers teetering on the edge of a financial viability. It's a healthcare horror story where the monsters are rising costs, staffing shortages, cyber attacks and a relentless tide of red ink. Under these market conditions, hospitals will need to slash expenses by 20% by 2030 just to keep their doors open. Where’s the life raft? While private equity involvement in healthcare is no doubt controversial, it may provide a lifeline for struggling hospitals and practices, offering opportunities for reorganization and financial stability. With hospitals and practices serving Medicare, Medicaid uninsured and rural populations getting hit the hardest, their financial woes have the potential to disrupt care for our most vulnerable patients. This is a health equity issue that cannot be ignored. Health leaders are stepping up for our struggling providers by reimagining community-based care models and calling out the systemic misaligned incentives that will continue to reverberate inequities across our nation’s healthcare system if left unaddressed. From the corner clinic to a sprawling hospital campus, let’s breathe life back into providers across the country.