Private equity (PE) firms use considerable debt and other people's money to buy and sell businesses with the aim of earning supersized profits in the shortest time possible, and now they are buying everything from medical centers to emergency medical transportation. In Ethically Challenged, Laura Katz Olson investigates how PE firms are impacting physician and dental practices, home care and hospice agencies, substance abuse, eating disorder, and autism services, and emergency medical transportation, arguing that public pension funds, which provide the preponderance of equity for PE buyouts, tend to ignore the fact that their money may be undermining the health care system. Olson offers a unique perspective and appreciation of the significance of PE investments in health care, exposing the nefarious side of its maneuvers and the impact on cost and quality of care. The book weaves together insights from interviews with business owners and experts, newspaper articles, purchased data sets, and industry publications, making it the first book to comprehensively address private equity and health care.

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