Study Links For-Profit Hospital Ownership to Higher Mortality Rates
A study led by University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing researchers, published in Medical Care, found that for-profit hospitals had higher 30-day mortality and readmission rates than nonprofit hospitals. Using 2024 data from 1.17 million Medicare admissions across 941 acute care hospitals in 10 states and survey responses from over 17,000 bedside nurses, researchers found for-profit hospitals had about 11 more deaths per 1,000 medical admissions and five more per 1,000 surgical admissions, with staffing differences linked to 40-45% of those gaps. Nurses at for-profit hospitals were far more likely to rate staffing as unsafe (71% vs. 54%) and report burnout. Researchers called for minimum staffing standards, ownership transparency, and workforce measures in payment programs, while noting the study shows associations rather than causation.