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Chains have been expanding in different areas of the health care sector. However, their varying results have raised questions about whether this trend is positive or negative in terms of outcomes, access, and costs. This article furthers the discussion by sharing the results of a study of the chain ownership of fertility clinics. Its findings: Chains have expanded access to in vitro fertilization and improved outcomes. But this positive impact may only have implications for other areas of health care where similar conditions exist.
In a 2012 article in the New Yorker, Atul Gawande suggests that health care could benefit from the operational efficiency and management practices adopted by successful restaurant chains like the Cheesecake Factory. But given that the stakes are considerably higher in caring for patients than in serving the perfect burger or berry bliss cheesecake, there have concerns that the owners of chains in health care make profits a higher priority than patients’ best interests. For instance, recent research that has shown that chain ownership of nursing homes and dialysis clinics leads to worse quality care has lent weight to those fears.
