This article originally appeared in Forbes.

Hospital mergers and acquisitions (M&As) are increasingly affecting the way women shop for and acquire healthcare in America. M&As include the consolidation of separate hospitals into a system (whether that’s a larger hospital acquiring a smaller one or multiple smaller hospitals merging), as well as hospitals/health systems purchasing physician practices or other provider services. These also include the merging and acquisition of healthcare services like skilled nursing practices, ambulance services, ambulatory surgical centers, nursing home facilities, pharmacies and more.