Executive compensation in healthcare continues to reflect a combination of performance-based incentives, stock awards and strategic benchmarks aligned with shareholder value. In 2025, leaders at four of the country’s largest for-profit health systems — HCA Healthcare, Tenet Healthcare, Universal Health Services and Community Health Systems — saw compensation packages that mirrored their organizations’ financial outcomes and long-term growth priorities.
Below is a breakdown of the highest-earning executives across these four systems, based on their most recent proxy statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Editor’s note: Total compensation can include salary, bonuses, stock and option awards, change in pension value and nonqualified deferred compensation earnings and other compensation.
HCA Healthcare (Nashville, Tenn.)
HCA Healthcare, which operates 190 hospitals, closed out 2025 with $75.6 billion in revenue and $6.8 billion in net income — an increase of nearly 18% year over year.
CEO Sam Hazen’s compensation rose $2.7 million, driven in part by more than $5.4 million in nonequity incentive plan compensation as the system’s executives achieved near-maximum performance against EBITDA targets.
Top-earning executives in 2025:
– Sam Hazen, CEO: $26.5 million
– Jon Foster, executive vice president and COO: $11 million
– Mike Marks, executive vice president and CFO: $10.4 million
– Michael McAlevey, executive vice president, chief legal and administrative officer: $5.7 million
– Michael Cuffe, MD, executive vice president and chief clinical officer: $5.7 million
Tenet reported $21.3 billion in revenue in 2025, up from $20.7 billion the prior year, as the system’s pivot toward ambulatory and specialty care continued to generate strong returns. Full-year adjusted EBITDA rose to $4.6 billion from $4 billion in 2024, and free cash flow more than doubled to $2.53 billion. Net income was $1.4 billion, down from $3.2 billion in 2024 — a year that included a $2.1 billion after-tax gain tied primarily to hospital divestitures.
CEO Saum Sutaria, MD, was the highest-compensated executive across all four systems, with total compensation exceeding $43 million — up from nearly $25 million in 2024. His package included more than $31.7 million in stock awards and $9 million in nonequity incentive plan compensation, with no cash bonus, reflecting Tenet’s emphasis on equity-based pay tied to long-term performance.
Top-earning executives in 2025:
– Saum Sutaria, MD, chair and CEO: $43.1 million
– Tom Arnst, executive vice president, chief administrative officer, general counsel and corporate secretary: $10 million
– Lisa Foo, executive vice president and COO: $9.5 million
– Sun Park, executive vice president and CFO: $7.4 million
– Paola Arbour, executive vice president and chief information officer: $4.1 million
Community Health Systems (Franklin, Tenn.)
CHS recorded operating income of $1.5 billion (11.9% margin) for the year ended Dec. 31, 2025, a significant improvement from $542 million (4.3% margin) in 2024, driven in part by hospital divestiture gains.
The system underwent a leadership transition during the year: CEO Tim Hingtgen retired Sept. 30, entering a consulting agreement with the company, while Kevin Hammons — who had served as president and CFO — stepped into the chief executive role on an interim basis before being named to the position permanently in December. Despite retiring before year’s end, Mr. Hingtgen was the system’s highest-earning executive in 2025.
Top-earning executives in 2025:
– Tim Hingtgen, former CEO: $7.9 million
– Kevin Hammons, CEO: $4.8 million
– Kevin Stockton, executive vice president of operations and development: $2.8 million
– Mark Medley, regional president: $2.5 million
– Chad Campbell, regional president: $2.4 million
– Jason Johnson, executive vice president and CFO: $1.4 million
Universal Health Services (King of Prussia, Pa.)
UHS reported operating income of $2 billion (11.5% operating margin) in 2025, up from $1.7 billion (10.6% margin) in 2024. Net income grew to $1.5 billion, up from $1.1 billion.
The system operates 29 inpatient acute care hospitals, 346 behavioral health facilities and 168 outpatient facilities across 40 states, Washington, D.C., the United Kingdom and Puerto Rico. All five of its top-earning executives received higher overall compensation in 2025 than in 2024.
Top-earning executives in 2025:
– Marc Miller, president and CEO: $16.1 million
– Alan Miller, executive chairman: $8.1 million
– Steve Filton, executive vice president and CFO: $5.1 million
– Edward Sim, executive vice president and president of acute care: $4.8 million
– Matthew Peterson, executive vice president and president of behavioral health: $4.2 million
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