A few years ago, private equity was a dirty word among some circles of physicians and surgeons. The idea of accepting investment dollars in exchange for autonomy was unattractive for physician owners at best, and dangerous at worse.
Some feared injecting private equity money into healthcare would lead to corporate executives making decisions about patient care and driving volume-based decision-making to turn a profit instead of doing what is best for patients. Those fears are valid and persist today among the fiercely independent. But others looking to take their business to the next level see opportunities with private equity.