Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, major healthcare providers have been making moves acquiring emerging with other companies...
What is this because of economic hardship? Was it because of control? Was it because of improved access for those seeking help?
This is a question that will never have a concrete answer, and it may be more than one thing at the same time.
Among those who have been winning [making money, a lot of it] in this time are:
RWJ Barnabas (which itself was once two different companies less than 10 years ago)
Summit Medical Group (acquired by a Walgreens affiliate)
It seems like I would be being dishonest to not mention the fact that everyone does not see these moves is beneficial to the people.... as a few of these merger actions were blocked by the Federal Trade Commission.
The argument is that this was forced on them by is in healthcare system by Medicare/ Medicade changes, and the push from the executive powers up until 2016 to lessen cost for Americans.
To use Sarianne Gruber's word it was almost destined to be what it is a: "uberization" of healthcare. At one point Saint Peters, Saint Barnabas, RWJ, Clara Mass and Trinitas were separate hospitals with their own systems.
VillageMD has purchased Summit Medical Group, and converted it to Summit health, connecting it to cityMD.
On paper, this is great! In reality it's messy. Healthcare is very broad and extremely important, yet also private, in terms of the legalities. HIPAA laws are something they have to always be vigilantly watched and paid attention to.
The concern and issue that is not being voiced, or given enough attention. In my view is: The education and diagnosis of patient issues.
The good thing about having a separate entity or establishment to go to is ability to get a real different opinion. The bigger and more that consolidation happens the more difficult it is to get a different opinion. Even if different satellite, branches and healthcare professionals are allowed within company policy to give a second opinion... within any organization, integrity matters, and it doesn't look good to say that your constituents did an analysis that was not right.
Ultimately, what needs to happen is we need to have people understand the science, and the inter-workings of the body on a deeper more concrete level. What will ultimately happen and what the pandemic showed us is that groupthink and the "mob mentality" is very hard to stop. So before we return to that, or have a situation that is worse than that in the long term for peoples, civil, liberties, rights, and abilities let's start educating ourselves, and those around us better.