Medaxiom Blog

Part 1 of the Private Equity Blog Series Introduction Private equity (PE)-backed deals are not a new phenomenon in healthcare (Figure 1). For years, PE has played a significant role in ophthalmology, orthopedics, emergency medicine and GI, to name a few specialties. Changes in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rules have allowed cardiovascular procedures such as cardiac catheterizations to be performed within ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), and other procedures like ablations could potentially be added to the ASC setting. Additionally, the CMS strategy has been to shift most historically hospital-based care and procedures to outpatient settings, reducing costs and benefitting the patient and provider experiences. Because of these changes, PE has shifted its focus from other specialties to cardiology groups in recent years.

"We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right." ― Martin Luther King Jr. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the number one cause of death in the U.S. alone and "claims over 650,000 lives annually and puts a huge strain on the health care system and the economy, both in terms of cost of care, and lost productivity."1 Of that number, people of color have disproportionately suffered increased morbidity and mortality from CVD, reminding us that social injustices and racial inequities continue to influence disease burden and our overall healthcare system.

I’ve worked in the healthcare field for more than 20 years – most of them in cardiovascular and surgical practices. But I’ve never seen anything like what is happening in the current workforce. Sure – the pandemic changed the way that we think about our jobs. But when the job is caring for patients who need their providers, it’s important to have a solid plan in place for recruiting and retaining staff.