Case Study: Lifepoint in North Carolina

The document argues that private equity ownership of hospitals, specifically Apollo Global Management's ownership of Lifepoint Health, prioritizes short-term profits over patient care. It highlights a decline in CMS star ratings and poor clinical outcomes across several Lifepoint hospitals in North Carolina, including high mortality rates for heart failure and pneumonia, and significant issues with catheter-associated urinary tract infections. The report also details Lifepoint's use of joint ventures with academic and nonprofit entities to expand its market reach.

• Lifepoint Health is ranked as the third worst hospital system in North Carolina by the Lown Institute, with three of its facilities—Person Memorial Hospital, Central Carolina Hospital, and Wilson Medical Center—ranking among the state's ten worst acute care hospitals.
• Several Lifepoint hospitals in North Carolina experienced declines in their Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) star ratings between 2023 and 2024. Central Carolina Hospital and Frye Regional Medical Center both dropped from 3 stars to 1 star, while Maria Parham Medical Center decreased from 3 stars to 2 stars.
• Clinical outcomes at specific Lifepoint facilities show significant deficiencies: Central Carolina Hospital is the 21st worst in the US for the ratio of actual to expected catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), and Frye Regional Medical Center has the worst heart failure mortality rate in North Carolina.
• Wilson Medical Center has a history of severe regulatory failures, including being placed on 'immediate jeopardy' status by CMS four times in 2022 (some involving patient deaths) and again in late 2024 due to an incident in its behavioral health units.
• Lifepoint utilizes a joint venture (JV) strategy to expand its footprint, operating at least 78 of its hospitals through JVs as of November 2024. In North Carolina, it operates through a JV with Duke University established in 2011, which allows Lifepoint to provide management and administrative services while accessing nonprofit and academic markets.
• A US Senate Budget Committee investigation in January 2025 concluded that the profit-driven model of private equity ownership may threaten healthcare infrastructure, particularly in rural and underserved areas, by reducing services and compromising patient care.

APA

Private Equity Stakeholder Project (2025). Case Study: Lifepoint in North Carolina. https://pestakeholder.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/2025-Lifepoint-NC-Fact-sheet-1.pdf

Chicago

Private Equity Stakeholder Project. Case Study: Lifepoint in North Carolina. 2025. https://pestakeholder.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/2025-Lifepoint-NC-Fact-sheet-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Private Equity Stakeholder Project |title=Case Study: Lifepoint in North Carolina |date=February 2025 |url=https://pestakeholder.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/2025-Lifepoint-NC-Fact-sheet-1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{privateequitystakeholderproject2025case, author = {{Private Equity Stakeholder Project}}, title = {{Case Study: Lifepoint in North Carolina}}, institution = {Private Equity Stakeholder Project}, year = {2025}, month = feb, url = {https://pestakeholder.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/2025-Lifepoint-NC-Fact-sheet-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }