Skip to main content
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Digital Health
    • Transformation
    • ESG
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Opinion
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
  • Events & Awards
    • Awards
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Excellence in Governance
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top Innovators
    • Diversity in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
      • - Leaders to Watch
    • Women in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Women Leaders
      • - Women to Watch
    • Digital Health Transformation Summit
    • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Hospital at Home
    • - Workplace of the Future
    • - Digital Health
    • - Future of Staffing
    • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
  • Multimedia
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
  • Data Center
    • Data Center Home
    • Hospital Financials
    • Staffing & Compensation
    • Quality & Safety
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Data Archive
    • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
    • Surveys
    • Data Points
  • Newsletters
  • MORE+
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. People
August 20, 2016 01:00 AM

The trends and news behind this year's list

David May
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC, is a familiar face when a public-health emergency arises. This year marks his seventh time on the list of the 100 Most Influential; he ranks No. 28 this year. Here he's pictured with Florida Gov. Rick Scott, discussing the state's response to the Zika crisis in South Florida.

    As President Barack Obama heads into the homestretch of his two terms in office, he once again tops Modern Healthcare's ranking of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare—the third time he's won the honor. And that's not surprising given his name—courtesy of his most vitriolic opponents—will be forever attached to the most significant expansion of health insurance coverage since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965.

    Enduring influence is also the central theme for many of the other names atop this year's ranking, Modern Healthcare's 15th annual. Coming in at No. 2 and No. 3 this year are CEOs of two of the nation's largest healthcare systems.

    See who made the list and why

    Learn more about the people ranked as the most influential in the industry this year with our interactive gallery. Filter the list by gender, age, sector, compensation, location and title—and share your results.

    Bernard Tyson, at No. 2, leads Kaiser Permanente, the giant integrated system with operations in nine states, predominantly in the West. Kaiser itself will be expanding its influence in healthcare delivery with the opening of its first medical school, expected by fall 2019.

    Anthony Tersigni, making his 12th appearance on the list at No. 3, is the longtime leader of the nation's largest Catholic system, operating nearly 150 hospitals in 24 states. He's also looking to expand the system's reach abroad with the announcement this month that it will form Ascension Holdings International, a division that will work collaboratively with other investors and provider partners. It continues Ascension's interest in overseas opportunities, following the opening of Health City Cayman Islands in 2014, a joint venture with India's Narayana Health.

    For-profit systems continue to play a major role influencing the delivery of U.S. healthcare. That's why R. Milton Johnson, CEO of for-profit behemoth HCA, is ranked No. 6 this year.

    The nation's payers—both public and private—are also well represented at the top. HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell comes in at No. 5 along with acting CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt, No. 10. Nothing says influence like overseeing a complex national health policy apparatus that disburses hundreds of billions of federal dollars annually and regulates a $1.7 trillion industry.

    Both have played lead roles in the long-term drive to fundamentally change the way healthcare services are delivered, steering away from the longstanding payment for volume and moving head-on into a variety of programs designed to reward providers for the quality and value of care.

    In remarks last year to a national quality conference, Slavitt explained his motivation for leaving the private sector to come work for the CMS. “What drew me to Washington is that the healthcare agenda today is moving out of the 'talking about it' stage into the 'changing-it' and 'getting-it-done' stage. … I've spent too many years and too many meetings talking about the stubborn uninsured rate and talking about the broken fee-for-service system.”

    Among private insurers, leaders are also looking for fundamental changes. Among them is the push for consolidation. Four of the Big Five publicly traded insurers are currently attempting to complete mega-mergers—but have been met with legal challenges from the Justice Department over concerns about market concentration.

    Aetna, led by Mark Bertolini, No. 4, on this year's list, is trying to merge with Humana in a $37 billion deal. Meanwhile, Anthem, led by Joseph Swedish, No. 12, has agreed to merge with Cigna Corp., headed by David Cordani, No. 57, in a $53 billion deal. Final rulings in the challenges to the transactions aren't expected until early next year. This is Swedish's 11th time on the list, which includes his tenure as CEO of Trinity Health before taking the helm at Anthem.

    Also cracking this year's top 10 is Stephen Hemsley, CEO of UnitedHealth Group, the nation's largest private insurer. He holds the No. 7 spot. UnitedHealth was the first insurer to announce it was pulling out of the Obamacare exchanges in most of its markets, citing deep and growing losses from the plans, which have drawn a larger proportion of older and sicker enrollees than expected. Aetna and Humana also have announced will be significantly downsizing their participation in the exchanges.

    Marilyn Tavenner, as CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans, the primary lobbying group for the private insurance sector, is a leading voice in promoting the interests of the insurers—even though United and Aetna are no longer members of AHIP. Tavenner is No. 9 on this year's roster and it's her fifth time on the list, which includes her nearly two-year stint as CMS administrator.

    She cites healthcare affordability as a key part of her mission as head of AHIP. “We still haven't solved that problem, as you well know. There's just a lot more that needs to be done to sustain it,” Tavenner said. “Some of that will involve pharma, some will involve hospitals, and some of it will involve us.”

    Even as the nation's largest insurers face challenges in the courts and in making the exchanges a profitable enterprise, there's a prominent voice on this year's list who would like to put the private insurers out of business altogether.

    Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who led an insurgency against frontrunner Hillary Clinton in the battle for the Democratic nomination for the presidency, can be credited with single-handedly drawing the issue of single-payer universal healthcare back into the mainstream debate.

    Sanders

    “Healthcare is absolutely a human right, whether you are rich, whether you are poor or whether you're in the middle class,” Sanders said on the campaign trail. “There is no healthcare system in the world that comes close to being as wasteful and bureaucratic as ours,” he said, making a case for cost savings through adoption of single-payer. Depending on who ends up winning the White House and control of Congress in November, it's an idea that could continue to resonate.

    Other elected officials on the ranking include two freshman governors—Democrat John Bel Edwards of Louisiana, at No. 35, and Republican Matt Bevin of Kentucky, No. 89, both of whom made their state's Medicaid program a major issue during their campaigns.

    Provider lobbying and advocacy groups are also well represented on this year's roster of the 100 Most Influential. Highest on the list is Rick Pollack, who was named CEO of American Hospital Association in 2015. He holds the No. 8 spot, marking his fourth time on list and reflecting his service in other executive positions at the AHA before taking the helm. He's followed by Chip Kahn, longtime CEO of the Federation of American Hospitals, at the No. 21 spot. Others include Pam Cipriano, president of the American Nurses Association at No. 24, and Dr. Andrew Gurman, president of the American Medical Association.

    The federation's Kahn is one of only five people to be on the rankings all 15 years. The other perennials are Trevor Fetter, CEO of Tenet Healthcare Corp., at No. 14; Wayne Smith, CEO of Community Health Systems, No. 23; RoseAnn DeMoro, executive director of National Nurses United, No. 46; and Drew Altman, CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation, No. 81.

    What's the secret of long-term influence? AHIP's Tavenner said she doesn't have a magic answer to that question, but joked that, “Maybe it's just because I've been around a long time and know a lot of people.”

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    media:image:6ff8e755-a688-4969-99d7-3287c0280e39
    Interwell Health CEO discusses future of value-based kidney care
    Dr. Maria Ansari
    Three priorities for Kaiser Permanente Medical Group's new CEO
    Most Popular
    1
    More healthcare organizations at risk of credit default, Moody's says
    2
    Centene fills out senior executive team with new president, COO
    3
    SCAN, CareOregon plan to merge into the HealthRight Group
    4
    Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan unveils big push that lets physicians take on risk, reap rewards
    5
    Bright Health weighs reverse stock split as delisting looms
    Sponsored Content
    People on the Move Newsletter: Sign up to receive a bi-monthly, sponsored content newsletter announcing new hires, promotions, and special accomplishments in the healthcare industry.
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Digital Health
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • ESG
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Opinion
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Events & Awards
      • Awards
        • Nominate/Eligibility
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Excellence in Governance
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top Innovators
        • Diversity in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
          • - Leaders to Watch
        • Women in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Women Leaders
          • - Women to Watch
      • Conferences
        • Digital Health Transformation Summit
        • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - Digital Health
        • - Future of Staffing
        • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
      • Webinars
    • Multimedia
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Data Center
      • Data Center Home
      • Hospital Financials
      • Staffing & Compensation
      • Quality & Safety
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Data Archive
      • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
      • Surveys
      • Data Points
    • Newsletters
    • MORE+
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing