RESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: To compare appointment availability and wait times between private equity--owned and non-private equity-owned urology clinics for two common urologic complaints. METHODS: We identified all PE-owned urology clinic locations as of June 2022 (n=390). For each PE-owned location, a geographically matched, non-PE owned clinic was identified. Each office was called using a "secret shopper" method with a standardized script, requesting an appointment on behalf of their Medicare-aged father for evaluation of gross hematuria or elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA). The primary outcome was appointment availability, and the secondary outcome was wait time until soonest appointment. RESULTS: PE-owned and non-PE-owned clinics treated the presenting complaints with similar frequency (gross hematuria: 85% v. 88%, p=0.3, elevated PSA: 93% v. 94%, p=0.5). Wait time in days until the next available appointment was similar for PE-owned clinics compared to non-PE clinics for both complaints (gross hematuria: 16 v. 13, p=0.06, elevated PSA: 18 v. 19, p=0.7). If available, the time in days until the soonest next appointment with an advanced practice provider was also similar between PE-owned and non-PE clinics (gross hematuria: 13 v. 11, p=0.07, elevated PSA: 13 v. 12, p=0.6). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, there were no large scale differences in access to outpatient urologic care between PE-owned clinics and non-PE owned clinics. Access to care in PE-owned clinics is likely clinically similar to geographic-matched controls for Medicare patients with gross hematuria or elevated PSA.
