Dive Brief:
- Michael Dowling, chief executive of North-Shore-LIJ Health Systems, says for-profit hospitals entering the New York State healthcare market is "inevitable."
- At a breakfast sponsored by the Long Island Association, Dowling said it would be "foolish" to assume that New York would continue to exclude for-profit hospitals when nearly every other state allows them.
- Kevin Dahill, president and CEO of the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council Inc., said he agrees with Dowling, but thinks it's hard to project whether the change will be made in the next year or two.
Dive Insight:
According to 2013 data from The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, nearly 86% of New York's community hospitals are organized as not-for-profits, with the remainder being run by government entities. Dahill said state currently law bars publicly-traded companies from owning hospitals in New York State, despite the fact that more than 21% of all U.S. hospitals were owned by for-profit companies in 2013.
Hearing New York healthcare executives say the shift is inevitable is encouraging for for-profit health systems that have been eyeing the New York market. It may not that far out of reach.