Private equity firms are quickly advancing their control over Canada’s healthcare system. With such rapid growth comes the real possibility of detrimental implications to patient care and safety. If recent news is any indicator, these firms are continuing their ascent to prominence in the industry. Simultaneously, a dangerous tide of health misinformation is informing public policy and swaying patient decisions. This convergence has important implications for the future of healthcare in Canada.
At least 15 U.S. states have begun moving in the opposite direction by attempting to curb private equity’s growing influence on our healthcare. This movement is a strong expression of grassroots concern about the ways that profit-driven motives corrupt the provision of effective patient care. In Canada, private equity is on the move in a big way. Its special target this time is ancillary healthcare services, such as surgical centers, dental chains, long-term care facilities and diagnostic clinics. The on-call system isn’t working. To begin, hospitals already have legal protections. Unregulated spaces leave us with few checks and balances, allowing private equity firms to act with impunity.
Research Findings and Patient Outcomes
A national study looking at one million Medicare emergency room visits across 49 private-equity-owned hospitals found much more ominous trends. Researchers reported significant cuts to staffing levels at these care facilities, leading to significant deterioration in patients’ health. Healthcare providers and policymakers alike have been understandably alarmed by what this data suggests. They raise doubts about whether high-quality, patient-centered care can be sustainable under such ownership structures.
Dr. Margot Burnell, a leading advocate for this wave of change, warned that these changes would have to be carefully monitored to keep the disruption in check. She stated, “Health literacy and trust literacy are crucial for Canadians and their doctors alike.” This was a large, well-done study, and the results reiterate what we already know—that quality care requires safe staffing levels.
The Threat of Health Misinformation
Beyond the complications brought on by private equity, health misinformation has become an undeniable presence in Canadian healthcare discussions. This misleading information affects not only public policy but patient decision-making, doctors say. An overwhelming 23% of people report experiencing negative health effects as a result of misinformation.
Dr. Sheila Singh, a pediatric neurosurgeon at McMaster University, shared her concerns regarding the consequences of misinformation on patient care. She noted that two of her patients with difficult-to-treat brain cancers recently lost access to experimental drugs. This all happened due to panic-based fears, whipped up by unsubstantiated health claims.
“Creeping into patients’ thoughts, public policy, communities, and is adversely affecting outcomes in healthcare,” – Dr. Margot Burnell
One especially egregious example was former President Donald Trump’s promotion of Tylenol as a cause of autism in pregnant women. Medical and scientific organizations around the globe have thoroughly debunked this claim. It continues to drive public opinion and health care policy.
Legislative Implications and Future Outlook
The legal framework and politics around healthcare in Canada are changing as well. In response, six provinces have passed legislation that would make these new provisions unenforceable should class action lawsuits arise. If their health data get compromised, these regulations can leave Canadians without recourse, raising serious ethical concerns.
Dr. Burnell echoed the urgent priorities for improved health literacy among Canadians as they learn to maneuver in this more complicated environment. Her bottom line was that we’re all as patients and practitioners need to stay educated and on the lookout for misinformation in order to protect public health.
A number of these supplement companies are connected to anti-vaccine nonprofits. In doing so, they all stand to profit from the increasing distrust in established science and medicine. This situation exacerbates the challenge facing healthcare providers who strive to deliver evidence-based care in an increasingly skeptical public landscape.
