Overview

Sixty percent of U.S. hospitals are private, nonprofit organizations. They operate alongside both public and for-profit hospitals. Small numbers of hospitals undergo a change in ownership form every year, usually through the sale of the facility. Although the overall ownership composition of community hospitals has changed only slightly in the past 30 years, some states and cities have been substantially affected by for-profit purchases of nonprofit (and public) hospitals. Examining the 87 for-profit conversions of nonprofit hospitals in the years 1985–1994, we found that more than one-third took place in three states, and nearly half were in the Southeast.

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