Office Visit Prices Higher For Hospital-Affiliated & Private Equity-Backed Primary Care Physicians Than Independents
Negotiated prices for office visits were lower for independent primary care physicians (PCPs) during 2022 than for hospital-affiliated or private equity-affiliated PCPs. Negotiated prices were 11% higher for hospital-affiliated PCPs and 8% higher for private equity-affiliated PCPs.
Between 2009 and 2022, the percentage of PCPs affiliated with a hospital increased from 25.2% to 47.9%. In 2009, 28,216 of 111,793 PCPs were affiliated with a hospital. By 2022, 82,890 of 172,964 PCPs were affiliated with a hospital. During the same period, 1.5% of PCPs became affiliated with private equity, representing . . .