The healthcare industry is no stranger to mergers and acquisitions. Over the years, consolidation has played a major role in reshaping the healthcare landscape, driven by factors such as regulatory changes, technological advances and the pursuit of economies of scale. New trends have emerged recently that reflect the changing needs and priorities of healthcare stakeholders.
Expanding the outpatient network: Before the COVID-19 pandemic, health systems were focused on expanding their outpatient service offerings. Advances in medical technology, patient convenience, and lower costs of care have driven much of this shift from inpatient to outpatient services. The pandemic further accelerated this trend as patients became hesitant to have procedures performed in the hospital.
Outpatient service providers such as outpatient surgery centers, emergency centers and doctor’s offices are seeing significantly greater demand and are increasingly attractive investments. For example, HCA has aggressively expanded its urgent care centers through a series of acquisitions. Tenet’s subsidiary, United Surgical Partners International, which owns and operates more than 475 ambulatory surgery centers and surgical hospitals, represents a growing portion of Tenet’s total revenue, Ankura reports. Read more.
