TENNESSEE HEALTH CARE HALL OF FAME NOMINEE MILTON JOHNSON

Milton Johnson attended Stratford High School, a Nashville Metro school, before graduating from Belmont University with a B.A. in Business Administration in 1979. He also holds a Master of Public Health from Carnegie Mellon University. Johnson served as CEO and Chair of Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) Holdings, Inc. from 2014 to late 2018. He worked at HCA for a total of 36 years. Before becoming CEO, Johnson held various financial and senior management positions at HCA, including leading the company’s tax department, working as senior vice president and controller, and serving as executive vice president and chief financial officer. He was appointed to the board of directors in 2009 and became President in 2011.

During Johnson’s tenure, HCA Healthcare was a $39 billion integrated healthcare system that included approximately 169 hospitals, 116 freestanding surgery centers, and more than 35,000 affiliated physicians in 20 states and the United Kingdom, employing approximately 233,000 colleagues, about 35 percent of whom were registered nurses. The company saw steady advancement in its clinical agenda, and under Johnson’s leadership, 78 percent of HCA Healthcare’s hospitals that reported core measure performance data to The Joint Commission (TJC) for 2014 were included on TJC’s 2015 “Top Performers” list, as compared to less than one-third of similarly accredited hospitals that year. Furthermore, HCA was recognized as one of the world’s most ethical companies for multiple consecutive years during Johnson’s tenure.

Johnson was also an ardent believer in developing current and future leaders and established the HCA Healthcare Leadership Institute, whose purpose is to build leaders who embrace the culture of HCA Healthcare, grow its business, and lead the industry. As of January 2023, more than 17,000 leaders have graduated from Leadership Institute programs, and over one million training hours have been provided.

Johnson has also provided leadership to the health care industry and Nashville community through his service on numerous boards and organizations. He served as chair of The HCA Foundation board, the Federation of American Hospitals, and the Nashville Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors. In addition to service on the American Heart Association’s CEO Roundtable and membership on The Business Council, he also served on the boards of the Center for Medical Interoperability, Nashville Health Care Council, and the United Way of Metropolitan Nashville. Prior to his election as chair of the Belmont Board of Trustees, Johnson served on the Board’s Executive Committee and chaired the Academic Affairs Committee.

Johnson and his wife, Denice, are notable philanthropists in the health care space. In addition to establishing the R. Milton and Denise Johnson Family Advised Fund at HCA, the couple donated $10 million to the new Thomas F. Frist Jr. College of Medicine in 2021, as the school was being built. The college of medicine was established in partnership with HCA Healthcare; the Johnsons honored Frist Jr. as a co-founder of HCA and one of Milton’s mentors. Belmont President Greg Jones noted that the Johnson’s gift gives future Belmont medical students “incredible opportunities to sculpt their futures and impact our world.”

The Johnsons also sponsor a scholarship for first-generation college students from Nashville who attend Belmont. In 2010, Milton Johnson was inducted into the Nashville Public Schools Hall of Fame for his continued commitment to education on all levels.