How private equity ownership of primary care clinics affects Medicare patients
Private Equity Acquisitions in Primary Care: Effects on the Medicare Program
This project looks at whether private equity buying primary care practices changes the care, use of services, and costs experienced by Medicare patients.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oregon Health & Science University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Portland, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11086107 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient perspective, the researchers link data on which primary care clinics were bought by private equity to Medicare fee-for-service claims and Medicare Advantage encounter records from 2016–2024. They compare people who saw clinicians at PE‑owned clinics to similar patients at clinics that were not bought, using a quasi-experimental event‑study design with matched controls. The team will track changes in overall service use, use of low‑value tests or procedures, spending, and patient outcomes over time. Results aim to separate effects of ownership changes from other trends affecting care.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Medicare beneficiaries who receive their primary care from clinics that were acquired by private equity—including people in Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage—are the main group this research is about.
Not a fit: People under 65, those not covered by Medicare, or those who do not receive primary care through the clinics in the linked data are unlikely to be directly affected by this study.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If the study shows clear harms or benefits from private equity ownership, policymakers and providers could use the results to protect Medicare patients from higher costs or poorer quality care.
How similar studies have performed: Research in nursing homes, hospitals, and some specialists links private equity ownership to higher prices and possible declines in quality, but evidence focused specifically on primary care is limited.
Where this research is happening
Portland, United States
- Oregon Health & Science University — Portland, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhu, Jane Mingjia — Oregon Health & Science University
- Study coordinator: Zhu, Jane Mingjia
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.