Am J Psychiatry 1982; 139:902-907
Copyright © 1982 by American Psychiatric Association
The growth of investor-owned psychiatric hospitals
AI Levenson
The number of investor-owned (proprietary) psychiatric hospitals in the
United States has increased substantially in the past decade: these
facilities now account for well over half of the nation's nongovernmental
psychiatric hospitals. One of the reasons for this development has been the
growth of multihospital chains, and another factor has been the economic
advantages enjoyed by all investor-owned hospitals. These factors are
likely to bring about further growth among investor-owned psychiatric
hospitals in the future. Investor-owned hospitals in general, however, have
become a subject of considerable controversy. Investor-owned psychiatric
hospitals warrant specific consideration with respect to this controversy,
particularly with respect to questions about quality of care.
