A proposed joint venture between Yuma Regional Medical Center and hospital management company, LifePoint Health, a holding of the Apollo Management Group, a private equity firm, would change the hospitals' not-for-profit status to a for-profit model.
Today on Arizona Edition, host Lou Gum speaks to Dr. Daniel Derksen, Professor of Public Health, Medicine and Nursing at the University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of PublicHealth and Director of the University's Arizona Center for Public Health.
Derksen discusses various hospital ownership and management models, including the fairly recent introduction of private equity firms into the ownership landscape. He says a lack of data makes it hard to assess whether a not-for-profit or non-profit hospital is better for a community than a private, or corporate-owned entity, in part due to mandated reporting and health metrics for one group and less transparency or required accountability for the other.
Derksen suggests the "important decision" by a community to change its hospital's legal framework should be based on the transparency and accountability of hospital leadership, their commitment to addressing local health needs, and an on-going dialogue with community members.
- Yuma Regional Medical Center is a contributor to KAWC, Colorado River Public Media.
