Study: Higher mortality at for-profit U.S. hospitals
Do patients who receive treatment at nonprofit hospitals have a better chance of surviving than if they sought treatment at a for-profit facility?
That seems to be the indication of the results of a statistical analysis performed by Canadian researchers at McMaster University in Ontario and published in the May 28 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
In the study, lead researcher P.J. Devereaux and colleagues analyzed 15 studies that compared 26,000 private for-profit and private 7nonprofit hospitals in the United States, which collectively treated 38 million patients between 1982 and 1995.
For-profits had a 2% higher death rate
Their analysis indicated that for-profit hospitals had a death rate that was an average 2% higher than nonprofit hospitals. Though the difference is slight, it could translate into large numbers of patients, the researcher told Reuters Health on May 28.
Although the U.S. system is a mix of private for-profit and nonprofit hospitals, 95% of Canadian hospitals are nonprofit. The country is currently exploring whether or not to transition to more for-profit entities.
If the country completely switched to a for-profit system, Devereaux said, the average 2% increase could mean 2,200 more deaths per year.
You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content