Top 25 COOs in Healthcare - 2017

Hurst has been COO of Piedmont Healthcare since 2006 and has been with the organization since 2000. Piedmont includes seven inpatient facilities covering the Atlanta and Athens, Ga., markets, a 1,700-member clinically integrated physician network and the Piedmont Heart Institute. During his tenure, Piedmont opened Georgia's first free-standing emergency department, which preserved 24-hour service in a rural community that saw its only hospital close in 2016. Hurst joined Piedmont as chief financial officer in 2000 and helped grow its net revenue from $350 million to $3 billion in that role. Before coming to Piedmont, Hurst worked in various financial management roles within Tenet Healthcare Corp. for nearly 20 years.