Hospital Consolidation Not Shown to Improve Quality - New Research Insights

A new study of nearly 250 hospitals that were acquired between 2009 and 2013 found no evidence that the ownership change improved their quality of care. Compared to peer hospitals that were not acquired, the acquired hospitals actually performed worse on patient experience measures after the merger and did not show significant improvement in patient outcomes or clinical process measures.

Read our Research Insights for more highlights from this study, which is the first systematic assessment of a broad range of quality impacts on hospitals acquired in a comprehensive set of recent mergers. The research adds to a body of evidence - summarized in NIHCM's chart story - finding that hospital consolidation does not improve quality but does lead to higher prices for patients.