Acquisitions of Behavioral Health Treatment Facilities from 2010-2021

Private equity and other for-profit ownership of behavioral health (mental health and substance use) treatment facilities has become increasingly prevalent, but data on these acquisitions are not readily available. In this study, we describe a novel database that contains information on the universe of behavioral health acquisitions that occurred between 2010-2021. We found that the frequency of behavioral health facilities involved in acquisitions increased substantially, from 32 facilities in 2010 to 1,330 in 2021. The total number of facilities involved in acquisitions was 2,806. Most of these facilities provided outpatient services only (N=2,073) and offered only mental health services (N=1,428). Private equity-backed acquisitions accounted for around 60% of all acquisition activity (N=1,678 facilities private equity, N=1,128 facilities other for-profit). 25% of acquired facilities were located within 20 miles of one another (N=561), 50% occurred within 80 miles (N=1,403), and 75% occurred within 319 miles (N=2,104). Future research should evaluate the effects of this consolidation on behavioral healthcare access, quality, spending, and patient outcomes.