title: Private hospital care for profit? A reappraisal.
abstract: For-profit, investor-owned health care corporations have become much more active in hospital markets previously dominated by the private not-for-profit sector. An in-depth examination of the many issues underlying this controversy is provided, including a review of the role played by charity care and community benefits, access to capital, the relationship between profit and the tax status of health care organizations, the role of government oversight and regulation, and the quality and availability of health care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, MetroWest Medical Center, Framingham, MA, USA.
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Josephson
mesh_terms: D002608:Charities; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations / Q000191:economics*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004465:Economic Competition; D004991:Ethics, Institutional; D005544:Forecasting; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006777:Hospitals, Proprietary / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D006788:Hospitals, Voluntary / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007449:Investments; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000191:economics; D019464:Tax Exemption; D017664:Uncompensated Care / Q000191:economics; D014481:United States