1. Effect of Private Equity Ownership on Access to Outpatient Urologic Cancer Care in Medicare Recipients.
- Author
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Alameddine M, Clarkberg V, Flinn J, Kisty S, Krampe N, Shah A, Orikogbo O, Watts AC, Alcorn M, Stencel MG, Jacobs BL, and Davies BJ
- Subjects
- Humans, United States, Male, Aged, Urologic Neoplasms therapy, Ambulatory Care Facilities statistics & numerical data, Appointments and Schedules, Ambulatory Care statistics & numerical data, Waiting Lists, Private Sector statistics & numerical data, Female, Hematuria therapy, Hematuria etiology, Health Services Accessibility statistics & numerical data, Ownership statistics & numerical data, Medicare
- Abstract
Objective: To compare appointment availability and wait times between private equity-owned and non-private equity-owned urology clinics for 2 common urologic complaints., Methods: We identified all PE-owned urology clinic locations as of June 2022 (n = 390). For each PE-owned location, a geographically matched, non-PE-owned clinic was identified. Each office was called using a "secret shopper" method with a standardized script, requesting an appointment on behalf of their Medicare-aged father for evaluation of gross hematuria or elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA). The primary outcome was appointment availability, and the secondary outcome was wait time until soonest appointment., Results: PE-owned and non-PE-owned clinics treated the presenting complaints with similar frequency (gross hematuria: 85% vs 88%, P = .3, elevated PSA: 93% vs 94%, P = .5). Wait time in days until the next available appointment was similar for PE-owned clinics compared to non-PE clinics for both complaints (gross hematuria: 16 vs 13, P = .06, elevated PSA: 18 vs 19, P = .7). If available, the time in days until the soonest next appointment with an advanced practice provider was also similar between PE-owned and non-PE clinics (gross hematuria: 13 vs 11, P = .07, elevated PSA: 13 vs 12, P = .6)., Conclusion: Overall, there were no large-scale differences in access to outpatient urologic care between PE-owned clinics and non-PE-owned clinics. Access to care in PE-owned clinics is likely clinically similar to geographic-matched controls for Medicare patients with gross hematuria or elevated PSA., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2024
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