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As a physician who has experienced the turmoil of a PE takeover, I applaud the governor's plan to scrutinize these acquisitions through the attorney general’s office. PE firms often drain resources from medical practices, nursing homes, and hospitals, leaving patients without adequate care.
However, the fight won’t be easy. PE firms wield significant financial influence, which even affects national medical societies like the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).
In 2023, when I tried to publish my article about PE's takeover of my anesthesia group, the ASA Monitor deemed it too controversial, delaying publication until a counterpoint could be written. I declined and published it in Anesthesiology News instead. While I reconciled with ASA, understanding their need for impartiality, recent events have rekindled my concerns.
In September 2024, the ASA Monitor published an article by Dr. Dean Polce, a board member of U.S. Anesthesia Partners Inc. (USAP), extolling PE-backed practices. Yet, USAP is only 46% physician-owned, with significant stakes held by PE groups, including one from Singapore. Moody's rates USAP as B3—highly financially unstable—and the company faces FTC legal action for alleged market monopolization and increased patient costs.
After reading Dr. Polce’s piece, Dr. Aysha Hasan and I submitted a rebuttal to the ASA Monitor and proposed a Point/Counterpoint panel at the October 2025 ASA meeting. Both were rejected in November 2024. The ASA cited insufficient data against PE in healthcare and logistical challenges in organizing the panel, despite relying on Google reviews and patient surveys for Dr. Polce’s article.
Why the ASA favors PE involvement remains unclear. As an ASA Board alternate for Pennsylvania, I remain loyal only to physicians and their patients. Patients, who make up 100% of the population, must speak up to effect change.
About the Author
Joseph F. Answine, MD, is a FASA Professor of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Penn State University Hospital, Hershey, PA. Answine is also the American Society of Anesthesiologists alternate director for Pennsylvania, and vice president of scientific affairs, the Pennsylvania Society of Anesthesiologists.
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