THE NUMBER OF AMERICANS WHO GO
TO EMERGENCY ROOMS IS ON THE
RISE. AND YOU KNOW, THOSE
VISITS ARE NOT CHEAP. ONE
STUDY FROM 2017 FOUND THE
COST. ALL OF 76 BILLION
DOLLARS A YEAR. AND WITH BIG
PROFITS LIKE THAT ON THE
TABLE. AN NBC NEWS
INVESTIGATION FINDS PRIVATE
EQUITY FIRMS ARE INCREASINGLY
GETTING INVOLVED. MORE AND
MORE. THESE ARE FIRMS THAT
BASICALLY INVEST IN BUSINESSES
WITH THE GOAL OF MAKING MORE
MONEY GENERATING BIG RETURNS
ON RELATIVELY PRETTY SHORT
TIMELINES. CRITICS SAY
SOMETIMES AT THE EXPENSE OF
PATIENTS AS MORE THEM GET INTO
HEALTH CARE. SOME SAY THEY'RE
PUTTING PROFITS AHEAD OF
PEOPLE. VICKY WHEN HAS THE
STORY.
>> DOCTOR RABER VAN HAS
DEDICATED HIS LIFE TO SERVICE
AS AN ARMY SURGEON AND
EMERGENCY ROOM TO THE POLLS TO
PROTECT PATIENTS TO THE BEST
THEY COULD AFTER HE LEFT THE
ARMY. BREE VAN TOOK A JOB AS
MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF THE ER AT
OVERLAND PARK REGIONAL MEDICAL
CENTER IN KANSAS. IT WAS 2012
AND SOON AFTER HE BEGAN
RAISING CONCERNS. I FELT THAT
THEY WERE PRIORITIZING METRICS
OF THE QUALITY CARE HE SAYS BY
2014 STAFF WAS STRETCHED THIN
WHEN AN EXPANSION PROJECT
DOUBLED THE HOSPITAL'S
CAPACITY AND THE PRIVATE
EQUITY-BACKED FIRM IN CHARGE
OF HANDLING STAFF REFUSED TO
ADD MORE DOCTORS. IT'S A
GROWING COMPLAINT ACROSS THE
COUNTRY. DOCTORS AND NURSES
CONCERN PROFITS ARE PUT AHEAD
OF PATIENTS AS MORE PRIVATE
EQUITY FIRMS TAKE OVER HEALTH
CARE GROUPS TODAY IT'S
ESTIMATED OVER 40% OF THE
NATION'S EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS
ARE OVERSEEN BY FOR-PROFIT
STAFFING COMPANIES. ALL OF
THEM OWNED BY PRIVATE EQUITY.
THESE WALL STREET FIRMS LOOK
FOR A RETURN ON THEIR
INVESTMENTS ON A SHORTER TIME
LINE.
>> AND ACADEMIC RESEARCHERS
TELL US THE LARGEST PROFITS
ARE OFTEN IN THE ER. HOW DOES
THAT AFFECT PATIENTS SAFETY.
>> WHAT I CAN. I WAS CONCERNED
WITH IS HAVING ADEQUATE TIME
TO DO THE JOB PROPERLY AS OUR
VOLUMES THROUGH AND THE
POPULARITY OF OUR YARD GREW
AND ARE RESPONSIBLE TO SCREW
IT BECAME CLEAR TO US THAT MY
POSITIONS ARE BEING ASKED IN
PLACES AT ONCE. SAYS THAT
WASN'T THE ONLY PROBLEM HE
SAYS DOCTORS AND NURSES WERE
EXPECTED TO IMPROVE METRICS BY
ADMITTING MORE PATIENTS
WITHOUT ADEQUATE EXAM. TIME OR
BED SPACE.
>> YOU WANT YOUR DOCTOR TO BE
THE ADVOCATE FOR E AND IS THEY
HAVE THIS BUSINESS INTERESTS
OVER THEIR SHOULDER IT. THEY
MAY NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE THE
BEST DECISION DOCTOR ROBERT
MCNAMARA IS THE CHAIR OF
EMERGENCY MEDICINE AT TEMPLE
UNIVERSITY. HE'S ALSO THE
CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER OF A
GROUP REPRESENTING ABOUT 8,000
EMERGENCY DOCTORS NATIONWIDE.
DO YOU THINK PRIVATE EQUITY
FIRMS SHOULD BE IN THE
BUSINESS OF MEDICINE.
CERTAINLY NOT AN EMERGENCY
MEDICINE YOU'RE JUST HAVING
PEOPLE THAT ARE SEEKING TO
MAKE A SIGNIFICANT PROFIT.
ALSO, HEALTH CARE. THERE ARE
LAWS ON THE BOOKS TO PREVENT
THE CORPORATE PRACTICE OF
MEDICINE. ARE THEY NOT BEING
ENFORCED. NO, THEY'RE NOT
BEING ENFORCED. MCNAMARA SAYS
STATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL RARELY
PROSECUTE THESE TYPES OF CASES
AND DOCTORS OFTEN DON'T SPEAK
UP FOR FEAR OF LOSING THEIR
JOBS AND THESE BILLION DOLLAR
COMPANIES THAT FUNDING YOUR
FUNDING WALL STREET RABER
AVANT WAS ULTIMATELY FIRED IN
2017 AFTER RAISING HIS
CONCERNS BY THEN, THE COMPANY
THAT CONTROLLED HIS UNIT
STAFFING WAS NO LONGER OWNED
BY PRIVATE EQUITY. BUT BY A
FOR-PROFIT PUBLICLY TRADED
COMPANY IN 2017, HE FILED A
WRONGFUL TERMINATION LAWSUIT
AGAINST THE STAFFING COMPANIES
SUBSIDIARIES.
>> HIS FORMER HOSPITAL WAS NOT
NAMED IN THE SUIT AND THE
PRIVATE EQUITY FIRM DID NOT
RESPOND TO NBC NEWS A YEAR
LATER, THE COMPANY WAS BACK IN
THE HANDS OF ANOTHER PRIVATE
EQUITY FIRM. VAN WAS
EVENTUALLY AWARDED 26 MILLION
DOLLARS HAD TO BE THE GUIDANCE
AT THAT AND SAY THIS IS IS A
PRINCIPLE BEHIND. WHY THIS IN
A STATEMENT. NBC NEWS, THE
STAFFING COMPANY AND VISION
HEALTH CARE WHOSE UNIT
EMPLOYED BREE VAN AND
CONTINUES TO BE PRIVATE.
EQUITY OWN SAYS IN PART AND
VISION IS COMPLIANT WITH STATE
LAWS AND OPERATES WITH HIGH
ETHICAL STANDARDS THAT PUT
PATIENTS HEALTH AND SAFETY
FIRST, THE CONCERN RAISED BY
DOCTOR PROVIDE WAS RELATED TO
A HOSPITAL POLICY, NOT
ENVISION POLICY AND PREDATES
ENVISIONS CURRENT LEADERSHIP
TEAM. I WANT THE SYSTEM TO
CHANGE. I WANT PEOPLE TO
BELIEVE THAT THEY CAN
EFFECTIVELY CHANGE THE SYSTEM
EVEN THOUGH IT FEELS ENORMOUS.
>> WITH US NAVIGATE SUCH AN
IMPORTANT LOOK AT THIS ISSUE
AND YOU REFERENCE IT IN THE
STORY THERE THAT THERE ARE
LAWS AGAINST THIS 30 STATES
HAVE LAWS AGAINST WHAT'S KNOWN
AS THE CORPORATE PRACTICE OF
MEDICINE THAT WOULD, YOU KNOW,
STOP THESE FOR-PROFIT
COMPANIES RUNNING MEDICAL
CARE. SO IF YOU'RE A PATIENT,
THE HOSPITAL, ARE YOU SUPPOSED
TO DO. RIGHT. WHAT SHOULD YOU
ASK YOUR PROVIDER. WHAT SHOULD
YOU DO IF YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT
THE LEVEL OF MEDICAL CARE THAT
YOU'RE GETTING.
>> HOW WE DON'T BE AFRAID TO
ASK YOUR DOCTOR QUESTIONS LIKE
WHO DO YOU WORK FOR? ARE YOU
OWNED BY A PRIVATE EQUITY
FIRM. ARE OWNED BY A PHYSICIAN
GROUP. THERE'S NOTHING WRONG
WITH ASKING FOR TRANSPARENCY
IN KNOWING WHO IS IN CHARGE
NOW, IF YOU ARE CONCERNED
ABOUT THE QUALITY OF YOUR CARE
OR MAYBE THE CARE OF A FAMILY
MEMBER OR LOVED ONE ABSOLUTELY
REPORT THAT TO YOUR HOSPITAL,
YOUR HOSPITAL BOARD AS WELL.
AS YOUR LOCAL LAWMAKERS AND
HOW HE THERE MAY BE SOME
CHANGES COMING IN CALIFORNIA
LAWMAKERS INTRODUCED A BILL
THERE THAT WOULD IN PART
REQUIRE MEDICAL FACILITIES TO
GET CONSENT FROM THE MEDICAL
STAFF WHEN THEY'RE MAKING
POLICY. SO THE IDEA IS
INCREASING COMMUNICATION
BETWEEN THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN
CHARGE AND THE PEOPLE ACTUALLY
PROVIDING THAT FRONT LINE CARE
AND HOPEFULLY PATIENT CARE
GOES UP.
>> HALLE VICKY WYNN WERE SO
GOOD TO HAVE YOU. AND THIS
INVESTIGATION WITH US HERE ON
THE SHOW TONIGHT. THANK YOU
VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE IT.