1969: Joins Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith as an investment banker, rising to managing director, Los Angeles office.
October 1988: Leaves Merrill Lynch & Co. to become chairman, president and chief executive officer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, Culver City, Calif.
November 1990: Becomes MGM co-chairman, dropping executive titles, when company is sold. Leaves MGM completely in April 1991.
December 1990: Joins board of Tenet predecessor National Medical Enterprises, Santa Monica, Calif.
June 1993: Becomes president and CEO of NME after resignations of company co-founders Richard Eamer and Leonard Cohen as investigation of psychiatric subsidiary heats up.
July 1993: Elected chairman of NME board.
June 1994: NME reaches final settlement with HHS and U.S. Justice Department for then-record $379 million.
March 1995: Company purchases Dallas-based American Medical International for $3.3 billion and changes name to Tenet Healthcare Corp.
October 1996: Tenet agrees to acquire OrNda HealthCorp, Nashville, for $3.1 billion.
November 1998: Tenet buys eight hospitals for $345 million from Allegheny Health, Education and Research Foundation, Pittsburgh.
February 1999: Tenet discloses plans to sell off 20 hospitals out of 129.
August 2002: A California judge halts Tenet's plan to shut 153-bed Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital, Marina del Rey, Calif.
Oct. 4 and 28, 2002: UBS Warburg stock analyst Kenneth Weakley suggests the company's explosive growth is unsustainable and details Tenet's reliance on Medicare outlier payments. Tenet stock tumbles Oct. 28 to $42.50, down 13.8% per share in one day.
Oct. 30, 2002: Federal agents raid Tenet's 188-bed Redding (Calif.) Medical Center, alleging that two nonemployed physicians performed medically unnecessary procedures and then falsely billed Medicare.
Nov. 6, 2002: Tenet discloses that HHS' inspector general's office is planning a nationwide audit of its Medicare outlier payments.
Nov. 7, 2002: Chief Financial Officer David Dennis resigns, Chief Operating Officer Thomas Mackey retires and former CFO Trevor Fetter returns as president. Barbakow offers to resign, but board declines offer.
Dec. 3, 2002: Tenet reveals drastically lower earnings expectations.
Jan. 6, 2003: Tenet voluntarily adopts new policy that sharply curtails Medicare outlier payments.
March 14, 2003: Tenet announces plans to divest 14 hospitals.
April 8, 2003: Barbakow agrees to give up chairmanship of Tenet's board but remains as CEO. Barbakow and three other directors agree to leave board to make room for new directors.
May 14, 2003: Tenet announces $20 million loss for quarter ended March 31, because of huge decline in outlier revenue.
May 23, 2003: Tenet directors discuss Barbakow's status as CEO. A few directors speak with Barbakow in the next two days.
May 26, 2003: Barbakow offers his resignation, and this time the board accepts.