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Tell Congress: Keep Wall Street Out of the Doctor’s Office

Private equity is taking over more doctors' offices and clinics across the country, and we could be paying the price.

More than 80% of U.S. doctors are now employed by corporate entities, including insurers and private-equity-backed organizations, compared with 62% in 2019. That leaves patients to wonder if decisions inside a practice are being made by corporate owners instead of doctors.

But there's good news: On September 16, lawmakers introduced the Stop Corporate Takeovers of Physicians Act. The legislation would address corporate ownership and control of physician practices and would also restrict certain contractual provisions affecting doctors, including some noncompete, nondisclosure, and nondisparagement agreements.

Now is the time for Congress to make sure patients' needs come before corporate profits.

A doctor and a patient reviewing a folder together.

Physician organizations have already warned that greater corporate control can undermine physician autonomy and create financial pressures that affect medical practices.

That could mean that facilities avoid investing in less profitable but critical care, or it could mean necessary care is priced out of reach for more people.

The American College of Emergency Physicians endorsed this new bill on September 17 and said medical decisions should remain in the hands of physicians without inappropriate outside interference.

Patients should be able to know who owns their doctor’s practice, what financial interests are involved, and what protections prevent outside owners from interfering with medical judgment.

Thanks for all that you do,
Matt from the Swarm