100 Most Influential People in Healthcare – 2016

• Compensation: $4,777,340 - according to 2014 IRS Form 990
• Years on list: 13

Lofton has never shied from well-considered risks. As CEO of the large system since 2003, Lofton launched a major effort to reduce health disparities among minorities almost immediately upon becoming chairman of the American Hospital Association in 2007. One of the hardest and most fulfilling things he ever tackled, he has said, was managing his ill mother's healthcare for years while rising through the ranks of hospital administration. It gave him new insights into the system. But not all opportunities have panned out. CHI is considering plans to scale back or even exit its health insurance business two years after starting an insurance arm to direct care for patient populations and focus on partnering with established insurers.