Private Equity In Durable Medical Equipment

The document examines how private equity firms have consolidated the Durable Medical Equipment (DME) market using debt-funded growth, leading to cost-cutting measures that result in understaffing, repair delays for wheelchair users, and healthcare billing fraud. It profiles specific PE-owned companies and proposes policy recommendations to mitigate these harms, such as supporting right-to-repair legislation and improving Medicare reimbursement.

• Private equity firms have used debt-funded growth strategies to acquire and consolidate DME manufacturers and suppliers, creating industry giants that are now cutting costs to meet high return demands.
• The profit-seeking motives of PE-owned DME companies have been linked to operational failures, including understaffing, dangerous delays in repairs for custom wheelchair users, and millions of dollars in settlements for healthcare billing fraud.
• The two largest suppliers of Complex Rehabilitative Technology (CRT), specifically customized manual and motorized wheelchairs, are owned by private equity firms, which have opposed legislation allowing consumers to repair their own wheelchairs.
• The report profiles four specific PE-owned DME companies: Numotion (owned by AEA Investors), National Seating & Mobility (owned by Cinven), Apria Healthcare (owned by Blackstone Group), and AdaptHealth (owned by Quadrant Management).

APA

Private Equity Stakeholder Project (2023). Private Equity In Durable Medical Equipment. https://pestakeholder.org/reports/private-equity-in-durable-medical-equipment/

Chicago

Private Equity Stakeholder Project. Private Equity In Durable Medical Equipment. 2023. https://pestakeholder.org/reports/private-equity-in-durable-medical-equipment/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Private Equity Stakeholder Project |title=Private Equity In Durable Medical Equipment |date=15 November 2023 |url=https://pestakeholder.org/reports/private-equity-in-durable-medical-equipment/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{privateequitystakeholderproject2023private, author = {{Private Equity Stakeholder Project}}, title = {{Private Equity In Durable Medical Equipment}}, institution = {Private Equity Stakeholder Project}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://pestakeholder.org/reports/private-equity-in-durable-medical-equipment/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }