Hospitals and health systems are still making hundreds of C-suite appointments in 2026. Appointments have slowed for several specific executive roles, however, according to a Becker’s analysis of its executive moves reporting.
The clearest declines were in revenue and quality leadership. Becker’s has tracked two chief revenue officer appointments so far in 2026, compared with nine at the same point last year. Chief quality officer appointments fell by half, from 12 to six.
Meanwhile, appointments to several core executive roles increased in 2026, including CEO, COO, chief nursing officer and chief medical officer.
Even as overall CEO appointments rose, some systems are taking the opposite approach with individual hospital CEO seats. Rather than filling a vacancy after a CEO retires or departs, they are expanding an existing hospital, market or regional CEO’s oversight.
The expansion and contraction of executive roles tends to be cyclical, Peggy Loughery, MSN, RN, senior vice president of executive search at Kirby Bates Associates, told Becker’s in 2025. During challenging economic periods such as the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, some health systems eliminated roles and later reinstated them.
Where appointments fell
The two chief revenue officer appointments in 2026 were David Summers at Oklahoma City-based Integris Health and Beth Carlson at Columbus-based Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. In 2025, Becker’s tracked chief revenue officer appointments at organizations including New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System, Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health and Los Angeles-based Keck Medicine of USC.
Chief revenue cycle officer appointments went from five in 2025 to one in 2026.
The year 2025’s chief quality officer appointments included leaders at Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Health, Pittsburgh-based Allegheny Health Network and Cincinnati Children’s.
Chief strategy officer appointments were nearly flat, at 12 in 2025 and 11 in 2026.
CFO was by far the most frequently appointed role among those with fewer appointments this year. Becker’s tracked 147 CFO appointments in 2026, down from 153 in 2025. That is a 3.9% decline, which leaves CFO appointment activity largely steady.
Becker’s compared C-suite appointments in its weekly executive moves roundups from the start of each year through late September in 2025 and 2026. The counts include external hires, internal promotions and interim appointments. The figures reflect executive moves tracked by Becker’s and are not a comprehensive count of hospital and health system leadership appointments nationwide.
