ERs staffed by private equity firms aim to cut costs by hiring fewer doctors

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/02/11/ [login to see] /ers-hiring-fewer-doctors
Pregnant and scared, Natasha Valle went to a Tennova Healthcare hospital in Clarksville, Tenn., in January 2021 because she was bleeding. She didn't know much about miscarriage, but this seemed like one.

In the emergency room, she was examined then sent home, she said. She went back when her cramping became excruciating. Then home again. Valle said it ultimately took three trips to the ER on three consecutive days, generating three separate bills, before she saw a doctor who looked at her bloodwork and confirmed her fears.

"At the time I wasn't thinking, 'Oh, I need to see a doctor,' " Valle said. "But when you think about it, it's like, 'Well — dang — why didn't I see a doctor?' " It's unclear if the repeat ER visits were due to delays in seeing a physician, or if that affected her care, but the experience worried her. And she's still paying the bills.

The hospital declined to discuss Valle's care, citing patient privacy. But 17 months before her three-day ordeal, Tennova had outsourced its emergency rooms to American Physician Partners, a medical staffing company owned by private equity investors. APP employs fewer doctors in its ERs as one of its cost-saving initiatives to increase earnings, according to a confidential company document obtained by KHN and NPR.