A study published in Wednesday's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association reveals that for-profit dialysis centers increase a patient's risk of death by eight percent. As part of their analysis, researchers with McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario examined eight studies of U.S dialysis facilities that were conducted between 1973 and 1997, determining that financial pressures on for-profit centers resulted in an additional 2,500 deaths each year.

According to researchers, for-profit centers cut costs by hiring less qualified employees and providing shorter dialysis times. Critics of the report allege the study is misleading because it mainly analyzes the procedures at dialysis facilities during the 1980s and early 1990s before the industry was consolidated.