[E. Pluribus Unum]

Probably because the public hospitals send them home to die, but the private hospitals keep them even though they are dying.

[Eugene Tackleberry]

Didn't read the article, but I'm guessing people with more life-threatening conditions choose to go to a private hospital if they have the means.

[ThinkLikeWaterAndReeds]

Past research has also shown that your chances of survival increase if you don't go to a hospital at all.

[litany_of_lies]

I've read enough of this to know that it's clearly and unashamedly politically motivated.

Why is there an increase in mortality in for-profit institutions? Typically, investors expect a 10%–15% return on their investment. Administrative officers of private for-profit institutions receive rewards for achieving or exceeding the anticipated profit margin. In addition to generating profits, private for-profit institutions must pay taxes and may contend with cost pressures associated with large reimbursement packages for senior administrators that private not-for-profit institutions do not face. As a result, when dealing with populations in which reimbursement is similar (such as Medicare patients), private for-profit institutions face a daunting task. They must achieve the same outcomes as private not-for-profit institutions while devoting fewer resources to patient care. My response to this would be: Why wouldn't private hospitals have the incentive to keep patients longer (i.e., keep the beds filled and keep utilization high)? And if health care costs were driven by market forces instead of by the government (which pays about half of all medical costs), the private hospital could try to charge more. Those who feel it's worth it would pay more; those who don't see the added value would go to a different type of hospital.

Also note that private for-profit hospitals are more likely to be the source of breakthrough research, which improves life expectancy for all, including the other hospitals who eventually glom onto it.

[Intolerant in NJ]

The private for-profit hospitals employed fewer highly skilled personnel per risk-adjusted bed...a wee bit disingenuous, since private hospitals usually don't "employ" physicians but give them privileges to admit and care for patients, whereas public hospitals will actually hire and pay physicians on staff - the number of physicians actually available per patient is probably greater in the private hospitals...there've been lots of stories of patients fleeing Canada to get treatment in the US - kind of ironic that our problem with increased mortality in private hospitals here may be exacerbated by seriously ill Canadians who couldn't or didn't want to wait for treatment there.....

[LadyDoc]

PRivate hospitals may be "for profit" or non profits. Non profits often allow dying patients to take up places just like public hospitals. But public hosptials often admit people who aren't quite as sick, because no one is home to care for them. So they probably have fewer critically ill people.