Where There is Smoke: Emergency Medicine's Disaster Match Previews Private Equity Funded Chaos in Healthcare

The 2023 emergency medicine match is a canary in the coal mine.

This article asks a provocative question: does private equity create unnecessary systemic risk in health care? It’s a cautionary tale in 4 acts. Also, there is a 4th of July Special 50% off offer if you subscribe now!

Act I: The Canary in the Algorithm

This year, the medical discipline of emergency medicine has 555 unfilled spots in the match. This is despite there being vastly more applicants than residency programs positions.

The 2023 Match led to this statement by The American College of Emergency Physicians:

The 2022 EM Match saw an unprecedented initial 219 unmatched positions affecting one in four residency programs. The 2023 Match will see 555 initially unmatched positions, affecting a larger number of residency programs. Although these are challenging results, EM remains a vibrant and appealing specialty for many with almost 2500 new trainees already joining the EM family.

There is little more unsettling than unprecedented unmatched numbers doubling in a year. The vibrancy an…