2020 Honors Thesis: Jian H. Li

Name:

Jian H. Li

Title of Thesis:

The Effect of Leveraged Buyouts on Acute Care Hospital Patient Mortality

Committee:

Ian McCarthy, Kelli Lanier, David Civitello (Biology)

Abstract:

This paper investigates the effect of a private equity leveraged buyout (LBO) on acute care hospitals. The LBO is a specific, yet increasingly common approach that private equity firms use to finance the purchase of healthcare firms. The usage of high debt and focus on short term results raises concerns of potential reduction in the quality of healthcare provided. Using empirical data and models, this paper studies the effect undergoing an LBO on heart failure, pneumonia, and acute myocardial infarction mortality rates. The findings of this study show that undergoing an LBO appears to increase mortality rates for both heart failure and pneumonia patients, but not for acute myocardial infarction patients.