"Private Equity's Impact on ER Care Under Senate Investigation"

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is investigating the impact of private-equity firms on patient care in hospital emergency departments, focusing on three major firms: Apollo Global Management, the Blackstone Group, and KKR. Concerns include patient safety, improper billing, and anti-competitive activities. Private-equity firms' cost-saving measures and debt burdens are under scrutiny, with academic studies linking their involvement in healthcare to cost increases and lower quality of care. The inquiry also involves companies backed by the private-equity firms, and the Federal Trade Commission is examining potential anti-competitive activities in healthcare deals.