Johns Hopkins warns of hospital consolidation danger

Researchers at Johns Hopkins are sounding a warning about the dangers of hospital consolidation in a commentary published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The merging of hospitals into large chains threatens healthy competition, reduces patients' healthcare choices, and could even drive up costs, wrote lead author Dr. Marty Makary and colleagues. In 2013 and 2014, 193 hospital mergers were accomplished, and about one-fifth of U.S. hospitals plan to pursue similar deals in the next five years, they noted.

Of the 306 geographic healthcare markets in the U.S., none is considered competitive; in fact, nearly half are dominated by a single powerful network, Makary's group wrote (JAMA, August 13, 2015).

To counter this trend, the authors are urging the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to be cautious when hospital systems seek approval to consolidate.

"In the healthcare field, the implications of 'too big to fail' hospital systems could be far more devastating than similar consolidations in other industries, because ultimately they threaten access and quality of care," Makary said in a statement released by Johns Hopkins.

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