Private Investors in Cardiology: A Growing Trend with Tech Innovation and Cautionary Evidence
Private Investors in Cardiology: A Growing Trend with Tech Innovation and Cautionary Evidence
This content is based on recent developments and expert commentary (e.g., Harvard, JAMA – published June 3, 2025).
1. Cardiovascular Associates of America (CVAUSA), a cardiology group supported by private investors, has partnered with HybridChart, a company offering mobile-based rounding tools for physicians.
2. HybridChart, founded in 2008 by cardiologist Dr. Gregory Sanders, provides doctors with fast, mobile access to real-time patient data, allowing more efficient hospital rounds and standardized documentation.
3. As part of this partnership, HybridChart will become the preferred digital rounding platform across all CVAUSA clinics and hospitals.
4. CVAUSA’s CEO, Tim Attebery—former head of the American College of Cardiology—stated that this technology will improve workflow, help track clinic performance, and support value-based care by enabling informed shared decision-making.
5. This partnership reflects a much larger national trend: over 5,000 private practices and 600 hospitals in the U.S. have been acquired by private investors over the past decade. Outpatient cardiology centers have seen a surge in such takeovers since 2020.
6. According to Harvard health policy expert Dr. Rishi Wadhera, investor support can modernize struggling clinics by providing capital for equipment, staffing, and infrastructure upgrades. However, the short-term focus of these investors—often aiming to sell within 3 to 5 years—can create incentives for cost-cutting that may compromise patient care.
7. Wadhera and colleagues published a study in JAMA (January 2025) showing that patient satisfaction scores declined after hospitals were acquired by private investors. Other studies noted a 20% increase in adverse events such as infections and patient falls in investor-owned facilities.
8. In other specialties like dermatology, ophthalmology, and gastroenterology, research has shown that after acquisition, prices, billing, and utilization often increase without a corresponding improvement in outcomes. Cardiology may be following a similar path, though long-term data is still limited.
9. The American College of Cardiology reports that only 10% of cardiologists now work in private practice, down from 90% a decade ago. Most now work for hospitals or investor-backed groups—reflecting broader policy and reimbursement pressures that make independent practice harder to sustain.
10. Wadhera emphasizes that not all private investor firms are the same—some are focused on improving care, others on rapid profits. But due to limited transparency and data access, the full impact of these changes on cardiology care remains unclear.
Bottom Line:
CVAUSA’s adoption of HybridChart shows how private investment is driving digital transformation in cardiology. But as this financial model spreads, experts urge caution and closer monitoring of how it affects patient experience, costs, and clinical outcomes.