Questcare Partners
Operates urgent care centers and occupational medicine clinics.
PE-OWNED
Acquired by Golden Gate Capital2016-11-08
What Made It Great
Convenient urgent care with strong employer health services
What PE Will Likely Do
Significant reduction in nursing staff, replaced by less-trained and lower-paid medical assistants or LPNs
Aggressive 'upcoding' of patient visits and procedures to maximize insurance reimbursements, leading to higher costs for patients
Closure or scaling back of less-profitable service lines like psychiatric care, occupational health, or rural clinics
Extraction of large management fees by Golden Gate Capital, reducing funds available for facility maintenance and upgrades
Expected Timeline
“0 to 6 months months”
Announcement of 'optimization' program, with new management brought in to drive cost-cutting
“6 to 12 months months”
Nursing staff reductions begin, service line reviews underway
“12 to 24 months months”
Patients notice longer wait times, less time with providers, and reduced access to certain services
“24 to 36 months months”
Potential closure of lower-volume clinics, quality-of-care scandals emerge
“36+ months months”
Possibility of Questcare Partners filing for bankruptcy or being sold off to another operator
Similar Cases
Other companies that followed a similar path after PE acquisition
What You Can Do
Actions
Be aware of potential reductions in the quality of care at Questcare Partners clinics, and advocate for maintaining high standards of nursing staff and essential services
Monitor patient reviews and industry reports for signs of declining quality, and be prepared to seek care elsewhere if necessary
Contact local lawmakers and regulators to raise concerns about the impact of private equity ownership on healthcare accessibility and quality
Alternatives
Community-focused healthcare
Integrated managed care consortium