Research
Working Papers
“Getting Down to Business: Chain Ownership and Fertility Clinic Performance” with Julia Bodner
Chain ownership has been credited with boosting firm performance in the retail and service sectors but criticized for prioritizing profits over the well-being of patients in the healthcare sector. This paper finds that chain organizations improve healthcare outcomes in a setting with relatively minimal market frictions and information asymmetries: the market for In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). After acquisition by a fertility chain, IVF clinic volume increases by 28.2%, and IVF success rates increase by 13.6%. We provide evidence that fertility chains facilitate resource and knowledge transfers needed to enhance clinic quality, benefit underperforming clinics, and expand the IVF market.
Work in Progress
“Turbocharging Revenue: What Do Healthcare Providers Do With Windfall Gains?” with Atul Gupta and Adam Sacarny
“Physician Peer Gender Composition and Patient Outcomes During Childbirth” with Solène Delecourt
“The Impact of Hospital Mergers and Acquisitions on Consumer Finances” with Alexander Adia and Adam Leive
Study on unexpected physician deaths and the impact on peer decision-making and personnel changes with Mathijs De Vaan
Publications
Yu, J., Bond, A., Braun, R. T., La Forgia, A., RoyChoudhury, A., Zhang, M., Kim., J, & Casalino, L. (2023). Physician Management Companies and Neonatology Prices, Utilization, and Adverse Clinical Outcomes. Pediatrics.
La Forgia, A. (2022). The Impact of Management on Clinical Performance: Evidence from Physician Practice Management Companies. Management Science.
–AOM William H. Newman Award Finalist, 2020; AOM HCM Division Best Paper Award, 2020; AOM HCM Best Paper Based on a Dissertation Award, 2020; Industry Studies Association’s Giarratani Rising Star Award, 2020
La Forgia, A., Bond, A., Braun, R. T., Yao, L. Kjaer, K., Zhang, M., & Casalino, L. (2022). Association of Physician Management Companies and Private Equity Investment With Commercial Health Care Prices Paid to Anesthesia Practitioners. JAMA Internal Medicine.
– Media Coverage: ModernHealthcare, HealthcareDive, Becker’s Hospital Review, JAMA Podcast, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post
– Finalist for the 2023 NIHCM Research Award
La Forgia, A., Bond, A., Braun, R. T., Kjaer, K., Zhang, M., & Casalino, L. (2021). Association of Surprise Billing Legislation with Prices Paid to In-Network and Out-of-Network Anesthesiologists in California, Florida, and New York. JAMA Internal Medicine.
– Media Coverage: U.S. News and World Report, BenefitsPro, Kaiser Health News, Forbes
La Forgia, A. (2020). The Impact of Acquisitions on Clinical Decisions: Evidence from Physician Practice Management Companies. Proceedings of the Eightieth Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management.
La Forgia, A., Maeda, J. L., & Banthin, J. S. (2017). Are Integrated Plan Providers Associated with Lower Premiums on the Health Insurance Marketplaces? Medical Care Research and Review.
– Media Coverage: The New York Times Upshot
La Forgia, A., & Burns, L. R. (2017). Health Insurance in China. In L.R Burns & G. Liu (Eds.), China’s Health Care System and Reform (pp. 291-320). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Interviews, News, and Popular Press
Bichell, Rae Ellen. (October 12, 2022). Routine births are turning into moneymaking ‘emergency’ events at hospitals that work with private equity-backed staffing companies. Fortune.
Anesthesia Practice Management Success with Justin Harvey, Episode 154. (July 18, 2022). Here’s What Happens To Anesthesia Contracts When Private Practices Get Bought Out w. Dr. Ambar La Forgia.
Tribble, Sarah Jane. (June 15, 2022). Buy and Bust: When Private Equity Comes for Rural Hospitals. Kaiser Health News.
Krupp, Lexi. (March 22, 2022). Vermont’s largest hospital system and a massive insurance company are deadlocked. Thousands of patients are caught in the middle. Vermont Public Radio.