Chain IVF clinics increase access to treatment and enhance outcomes

Corporate chain ownership of fertility clinics not only increases access to treatment but also enhances patient outcomes, a new study shows.

The study shows that chain-owned clinics perform 27.2 per cent more IVF cycles and achieve a 13.6 per cent improvement in success rates. They also adopt standardised practices that reduce risky multiple births while prioritising healthier single births.

The study provides a data-driven perspective on how corporate healthcare ownership can benefit patients in an industry often characterised by competition and transparency.

“This flips the script on what we often hear about corporate healthcare,” explains Julia Bodner, study authors and a professor at Copenhagen Business School.

“In areas like nursing homes or dialysis centres, chain ownership often puts profits over patients. But in fertility clinics, it’s a different story – big companies actually make patient outcomes better by sharing resources and expertise.”

Unlike other sectors of healthcare, fertility clinics operate in a competitive marketplace in which patients can compare services, quality and costs. According to the researchers, this transparency drives chain-owned clinics to enhance care standards and invest in patient outcomes.

With global fertility rates declining and demand for fertility services rising, corporate ownership offers a scalable solution to meet these challenges while maintaining a high standard of care.

“This is one of the few branches of medicine where the free market is really working in favour of patients,” adds Ambar La Forgia, a co-author and professor in the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.

“We’re seeing companies invest in quality because it’s what keeps patients coming through the door.”

The study also highlights the profound human impact behind the data. For many patients, these improved outcomes mean the realisation of lifelong dreams.

“At the end of the day, this isn’t just about statistics or economics – it’s about giving people the chance to build families they’ve dreamed of,” says Bodner. “Every successful treatment is a life changed, a new hope realised and a future reimagined.”