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Impact of Private Management of Public Hospitals on Health Outcomes: Evidence from Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, which operates a network of public and private hospitals in Brazil, played a vital role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in São Paulo. Together with Einstein, an IDB Invest study compared the mortality rates of COVID-19 patients treated in Einstein-managed public hospitals to those of patients with similar characteristics treated in other public hospitals in São Paulo. 

The results show that Einstein-managed public hospitals had significantly lower mortality rates during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly during the second wave of the disease and when bed occupancy rates were highest. 

These results underscore the effectiveness and resilience of Einstein’s management strategies in coping with the pandemic, particularly during periods of peak strain on the healthcare system. They also signal the potential application of learning from the first wave leading to better outcomes in the second wave.
 

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