TENNESSEE HEALTH CARE HALL OF FAME NOMINEE

NAME: R. Milton Johnson.

COMPANY: HCA Healthcare

EMAIL: Milton.johnson@hcahealthcare.com

PHONE NUMBER: 615.403.5172

ADDRESS: 5012 Hill Place Drive, Nashville, TN, 37205

NOMINEE BORN, LIVED OR WORKED IN TENNESSEE?: Born, Lived, Worked IS THE NOMINEE LIVING OR DECEASED? Living

NAME: Dick Miller COMPANY: Earl Swensson Associates

EMAIL: richardm@esarch.com

PHONE NUMBER: 615.202.3366

ADDRESS: 1033 Demonbreun St, #800, Nashville, TN, 37203

RELATIONSHIP TO NOMINEE: Business Associate

DESCRIBE THE NOMINEE: Milton Johnson attended Stratford High School, a Nashville Metro school, before graduating from Belmont University with a Bachelor of Arts Business Administration degree in 1979. He additionally holds a Master of Public Health from Carnegie Mellon University.

His career is marked by 36 years at HCA Healthcare, including four years as Chair and CEO, three years as President, and decades in other senior leadership roles. HCA grew notably under Johnson’s leadership and was consistently awarded for its ethical business practices. Furthermore, all of HCA’s strategic partners were held to the same ethical standards. 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.

WORK EXPERIENCE/ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Milton 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.

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.

Under Johnson’s guidance, HCA enhanced investment in technology and clinical research, using data from more than 28 million annual patient encounters to advance science, improve care, and save lives.

He 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.

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. Prior to working at HCA, Johnson was a CPA at Ernst and Young.

Johnson is now the chair of the Belmont University Board of Trustees, a position he has held since 2021.

PLEASE PROVIDE INFORMATION TO SPEAK TO THE FOLLOWING POINTS: Johnson’s numerous board positions and philanthropic generosity demonstrate his commitment to serving as a role model and mentor within the health care community.

The growth of HCA while Johnson was at the helm shows the impact of his work. According to omicsonline.org, HCA saw “steady advancement” under Johnson’s leadership. Specifically, “78 percent of HCA’s hospitals reporting core measure performance data to The Joint Commission for 2014 were included on TJC’s 2015 ‘Top Performers’ list, as compared to less than one-third of all TJC-accredited hospitals reporting 2014 data.” Furthermore, HCA has been recognized as one of the world’s most ethical companies for the past 12 consecutive years, many of which were under Johnson’s leadership.

Additionally, Milton and his wife, Denice, are notable philanthropists in the healthcare 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, and the Johnsons were excited to honor Frist Jr. as a co-founder of HCA and one of Milton’s mentors. In a press release, Milton stated: “Nashville celebrates its status as the nation’s healthcare capital today largely because of Tommy’s transformational work. He was also a leader of outstanding character. I’m eager to watch as the next generation of healthcare providers are trained at Belmont with a similar drive to serve and care for patients, families and communities.”

Belmont President Greg Jones noted that the Johnson’s gift will give future Belmont medical students “incredible opportunities to sculpt their futures and impact our world.”

ANY ITEMS OF SIGNIFICANCE TO BE MENTIONED: Per news.belmont.edu, “Johnson has remained a dedicated leader and supporter of the University’s mission since his graduation, and he and his wife Denice are active in the lives of Belmont students. The couple created the R. Milton and Denice Johnson Bridges to Belmont Endowed Scholarship Fund in 2015, which helps to provide full scholarships for qualified, high potential students from Metro Nashville Public Schools to become first-generation college students by attending Belmont. In addition to their financial support, the Johnsons spend substantial time each year with the more than 120 students whose experience at Belmont is made possible by their gifts.”

As longtime Belmont President Bob Fisher stated when Johnson was announced as the new board chair, Johnson “represents what Belmont is all about, truly using his education to make transformational change in the world.” Fisher stated that, under Johnson’s leadership, “the best is yet to come for Belmont.” Outgoing board president Marty Dickens added that Johnson “consistently demonstrated his passion for education.”

In 2010, Johnson was inducted into the Nashville Public Schools Hall of Fame for his continued commitment to education on all levels.

R. Milton Johnson retired as chairman and chief executive officer of Nashville, Tennessee-based HCA Healthcare in December 2018 after helping the company celebrate its 50th anniversary that same year.

Johnson began his 36-year career at HCA Healthcare in 1982 after leaving Ernst & Young, where he had practiced as a CPA. He advanced through HCA Healthcare, serving in various financial and senior management positions, including head of the Tax Department, senior vice president and controller, executive vice president and chief financial officer, and president. He assumed his duties as CEO in January 2014 and was named chairman in December of that same year. He was originally appointed to HCA Healthcare’s board of directors in 2009.

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.

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.

A committed volunteer, Johnson has held offices in several organizations within the healthcare industry and the community. Johnson has served on the board of the Federation of American Hospitals (chair), Nashville Chamber of Commerce (chair), the Center for Medical Interoperability, the Nashville Health Care Council (chair), Siloam Health, and the HCA Healthcare Foundation (chair). He currently serves on the board of Johns Hopkins Medicine, United Way of Metropolitan Nashville, and The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee

A graduate of Belmont University, Johnson is also chair of Belmont’s Board of Trustees. He and his wife, Denice, have two children.

March 8, 2023

Dear TN Health Care Hall of Fame Selection Committee,

It is our great pleasure to recommend R. Milton Johnson for induction into the Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame. Milton is an outstanding health care champion and civic leader whose lifework has demonstrated his commitment to the care and improvement of human life.

We experienced Milton’s dedication to building a stronger Nashville community when he served as board chair of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, after serving as Partnership 2020 chair with Mayor Karl Dean. His rich business experience, acumen and collaborative spirit helped to advance the Chamber’s impact across the region. Milton’s personal participation in planning and leading community development initiatives set an example and standard for other community leaders.

Through Milton’s various leadership roles at HCA Healthcare spanning 37 years, he helped to build one of the largest and most successful health care companies and has helped to establish Middle TN as the health care capital in the world.

Standing on the shoulders of great HCA leaders before him, as CEO, Milton continued to build a rich culture of the highest standards, emulating an unrelenting commitment to HCA’s mission, values, and ethics to ensure compassionate, high-quality and patient-focused healthcare at all times.

Milton’s lifework and leadership has transformed countless lives for the better. I cannot think of a more deserving individual than Milton to be considered for induction into the TN Health Care Hall of Fame.

Sincerely,

Ralph Schulz President & CEO, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce