NEJM Interviews NEJM Interview: Erin Fuse Brown on the manifestations and effects of corporatization in health care.
Jul 2, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Erin Fuse Brown, a professor at Brown University School of Public Health, delves into the complex topic of healthcare corporatization. She outlines how profit-driven motives are reshaping healthcare priorities, often at the expense of patient care and worker support. The conversation highlights the rising influence of private equity and corporate consolidation, which escalate costs and diminish service quality. Erin also discusses the toll on physician-patient relationships and offers insights on restructuring the system to better serve community needs.
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Definition of Healthcare Corporatization
- Corporatization means health care is increasingly controlled by consolidated, profit-seeking enterprises.
- This shifts focus from patient-centered care to maximizing shareholder profits.
Profit vs Patient Care Conflict
- Shareholder primacy forces corporations to maximize profits, often clashing with patient care interests.
- This tension harms workforce stability and community health service quality.
Healthcare Consolidation Patterns
- Healthcare corporatization involves horizontal consolidation, like hospitals merging, and vertical consolidation, like insurers buying pharmacies.
- Large conglomerates gain market power and political insulation, reducing competition.