14 September 2024

Private equity bares its tactics in private healthcare shakedown

An article published in the Medical Journal of Australia earlier this year points to increased private equity (PE) activity in Australian healthcare, conservatively estimating A$4.5 billion in acquisitions across general practice and selected specialties in 2022 alone. The paper refrains from extensive commentary on the drivers and implications of this trend. However, it points to broad international experience suggesting that PE’s elevation of profit above other considerations coincides with underwhelming outcomes for patients, practicing clinicians and funders alike.