Nonprofit Hospitals: For-Profit Ventures Pose Access and Capacity Problems

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information about joint ventures between nonprofit hospitals and physicians, focusing on the: (1) rate at which nonprofit hospitals participate in joint ventures; (2) extent to which these ventures serve the poor; (3) extent that joint ventures can contribute to excess capacity for community medical services; and (4) effect of recent federal and state regulatory actions on such joint ventures.