Universal Health Services founder and longtime CEO Alan Miller will step down and be replaced by his son under a long-standing succession plan, the company announced Tuesday.
Marc Miller, who currently serves as president of the King of Prussia, Pa.-based hospital chain, will assume the CEO role in January 2021. Alan Miller will continue in his role as executive chairman of UHS' board in addition to other management responsibilities.
"Over the past four decades, we have worked hard to deliver upon our mission, care for patients in the most effective manner, grow strategically and seek opportunities," Alan Miller said in a statement. "I am personally quite proud of the care we have delivered to millions of individuals, and I am grateful for the team of dedicated professionals at UHS who have given so much to so many."
Alan Miller founded UHS in 1979 with six employees. In 2020, Fox Business recognized him as the second longest-serving CEO in the U.S. Modern Healthcare has placed him on its 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare list for the past 17 years.
Alan Miller will also continue to serve as CEO, president and chairman of Universal Health Realty Income Trust, a real estate investment trust that has 71 real estate investments across 20 states. He founded the company in 1986.
The elder Miller graduated from the College of William and Mary in Virginia and then went on to serve in the U.S. Army. He earned an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Marc Miller has led UHS' business operations, including executive oversight of both its acute-care and behavioral health divisions. He is also a member of the company's board.
In his more than 25 years with UHS, Marc Miller has held a variety of leadership positions. Prior to becoming president, he was the company's senior vice president and president of its acute-care division.
Marc Miller earned an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and a bachelor's degree from the University of Vermont.
"UHS' reputation as a financially stable, innovative and award-winning healthcare company will continue," Marc Miller said in a statement.
UHS recently reached a pair of settlements covering 19 False Claims Act cases in which whistleblowers accused the company's behavioral health division of holding patients longer than necessary and admitting patients who didn't need inpatient care in a scheme to maximize profit. UHS will pay $122 million to settle those cases, which allege years of misconduct.
UHS has held steady during the pandemic, growing its profit 6.3% in the second quarter, a bump due in part to federal stimulus grants.
