Hospital markets have become increasingly consolidated in recent decades, with over 1,412 Hospital mergers between 1998-2015. This concerning trend in consolidation and increased market power coincides with increased prices, decreased patient options, and lesser patient experience. Hospital consolidation also affects health care providers – nurses, physicians, and pharmacists – who frequently face hospitals and health systems with upstream market power in labor markets. Policymakers have few effective tools to stall or reverse consolidation. with the removal of restrictions on the growth on physician-owned hospitals (POHs) presenting one such option.
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