Private equity owned fellowships

[idkididk]

I'm specifically applying for surgical retina this year, but probably applies to fellowships broadly.

I've asked around in academia and no one is sure what to say. There are some great retina fellowships out there that have been acquired by PE in the last couple of years. How do you think PE affects fellowship training? Personally I imagine clinic might run more efficiency? Not sure how it would change surgical numbers.

Would appreciate any insight

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[eyeeye_captain]

Are you thinking about any programs in particular? Beaumont/ARC is still top notch. RGW has a ton of surgical volume. Glancing at the list of practices on PE websites (shudder), you’ve also got Cincinnati, Kentucky, and Rush, which are all pretty solid.

To your question, I don’t think it will change things drastically. These were all well-run practices prior to sale, so there’s not much to change efficiency-wise. I would worry a little more in the other direction since one of the easiest ways to cut costs and thereby improve profitability is to cut staffing. You also run the risk of some of the more senior docs taking that big payday and riding off into the sunset. I doubt it would change surgical numbers much unless it led to a greater referral base, but these are established practices that already have a big market share. Maybe you get a few more puckers and diabetic vitreous hemorrhages that would have been observed because the attendings have to meet some metric from corporate.

As long as the same attendings stay and maintain their clinical volume, it’s probably a non-factor for fellowship. When you finish and are looking for a job, well, that’s a different can of worms…

 

[i-doctor]

Agree with the above. Fellowship is all the about the pathology, mentoring, and adequate surgical numbers. I don’t think the business structure matters that much.

 

[Dusn]

if PEs really wanted to be “efficient” they would just turn the fellows into injection monkeys and not let them waste time in the OR…. How long it will take them to realize that is a different question.

 

[docdoc2012]

if PEs really wanted to be “efficient” they would just turn the fellows into injection monkeys and not let them waste time in the OR…. How long it will take them to realize that is a different question.

This will likely happen eventually but I think indirectly. The volumes will be driven higher and higher and fellows will be pulled to cover clinic volumes

 

[solitude]

Are you thinking about any programs in particular? Beaumont/ARC is still top notch. RGW has a ton of surgical volume. Glancing at the list of practices on PE websites (shudder), you’ve also got Cincinnati, Kentucky, and Rush, which are all pretty solid.

To your question, I don’t think it will change things drastically. These were all well-run practices prior to sale, so there’s not much to change efficiency-wise. I would worry a little more in the other direction since one of the easiest ways to cut costs and thereby improve profitability is to cut staffing. You also run the risk of some of the more senior docs taking that big payday and riding off into the sunset. I doubt it would change surgical numbers much unless it led to a greater referral base, but these are established practices that already have a big market share. Maybe you get a few more puckers and diabetic vitreous hemorrhages that would have been observed because the attendings have to meet some metric from corporate.

As long as the same attendings stay and maintain their clinical volume, it’s probably a non-factor for fellowship. When you finish and are looking for a job, well, that’s a different can of worms…

many of these practices are already starting to lose some of their senior docs, and seem to be having more and more trouble recruiting.