Judging by its nearly invisible public presence, you’d never know that this is prime time for HCA, the nation’s largest hospital chain. A former HCA regional VP, Marilyn Tavenner, runs the nation’s Medicare and Medicaid programs. Former CMS Head and Obama White House health policy chief Nancy Ann DeParle, sits on the HCA Board. Its longtime investor relations chief, Vic Campbell, is immediate past Chair of the highly effective trade group, the Federation of American Hospitals. And its Chief Medical Officer, Jonathan Perlin, MD, is Chair Elect of the American Hospital Association.
This astonishing industry leadership presence is something most health systems would be trumpeting, perhaps even placing ads in Modern Healthcare. But not HCA, the bashful giant of American healthcare. Most hospital systems make a show of “branding” their hospitals with the company logo. Yet in its corporate home, Nashville, and the surrounding multi-state region, HCA’s 15 hospital network is called TriStar. Everyone in Nashville’s tight knit healthcare community knows who owns their hospitals, but you have to read TriStar’s home page closely to find the elliptical acknowledgement of HCA’s ownership.
Despite a nationwide merger and acquisition boom, HCA hasn’t done a major deal in twelve years (Health Midwest in Kansas City joined HCA in 2002). The company has not participated in the post-reform feeding frenzy, continuing a long-standing and admirable tradition of refusing to overpay for assets. For the moment, owning 160 hospitals is plenty.
