Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a future issue for healthcare workers. Hospitals, insurers, pharmacy chains, and health technology companies are already rolling out AI tools for documentation, scheduling, workflow management, patient communications, and administrative functions. Nurses are negotiating AI provisions into union contracts. Healthcare employers are training workers on how to use these tools. The debate over AI's role in healthcare is already underway.
Yet, one important group is largely missing from the conversation: private equity firms.
In recent months, some of the world's largest private equity firms have announced partnerships with AI companies including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. These firms are not merely purchasing software. They are entering relationships intended to accelerate AI adoption across the companies they own.
For healthcare workers, that deserves attention.
The private equity firms involved in these partnerships are tied to dozens of healthcare employers, including LifePoint Health, BrightSpring/PharMerica, Global Medical Response, Aveanna Healthcare, AccentCare, ScionHealth, Aspen Dental, Heartland Dental, Surgery Partners, Athenahealth, Ensemble Health Partners, and others. Together, these companies employ hundreds of thousands of healthcare workers across hospitals, home health, hospice, emergency medical services, physician services, dental care, healthcare technology, and revenue cycle management.
