Some of the Largest Health Systems in the US. These health systems are vital for shaping healthcare policies and practices in addition to offering necessary medical services. This article will examine the structures, services, and effects on public health of the major US Largest health systems.
What is a Health System?
An organization that unites individuals, groups, and assets to support, supply, and enhance health outcomes for a population is known as a health system. Almost all health systems share the following few traits:
- The company manages a network of one or more hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
- There is at least one group of doctors in the organization that offers comprehensive care.
- There is a connection between the doctors and the medical facility, either by shared ownership or joint management.
- The organization is dedicated to supporting healthy lifestyles and giving back to their communities.
How many Health Systems are in the U.S.?
Nine hundred live health systems are monitored by the Definitive Healthcare HospitalView product. With an average of roughly six hospitals per health system, these systems own or operate over 6,000 hospitals. Based on the quantity of patient discharges, over half of the top ten health systems in the United States are Catholic-affiliated or owned. Among them are Providence St. Joseph Health, Dignity Health, Advocate Health, Ascension Health, CommonSpirit Health, and Trinity Health.
Top 10 Largest Health Systems in the US
| Rank | IDN name | City | State | Net patient revenue (in millions) |
| 1 | HCA Healthcare | Nashville | TN | $49.2M |
| 2 | CommonSpirit Health | Chicago | IL | $29.0M |
| 3 | Ascension Health | Saint Louis | MO | $22.8M |
| 4 | Kaiser Permanente | Oakland | CA | $22.1M |
| 5 | Trinity Health | Livonia | MI | $21.2M |
| 6 | Advocate Health | Charlotte | NC | $20.1M |
| 7 | Providence St Joseph Health | Renton | WA | $17.6M |
| 8 | University of California Health | Oakland | CA | $16.7M |
| 9 | Dignity Health | San Francisco | CA | $14.3M |
| 10 | Tenet Healthcare | Dallas | TX | $14.2M |
Trinity Health – 92 hospitals
Trinity Health is a US-based healthcare organization that runs urgent care facilities, hospitals, and care centers throughout 22 states. The company, which has its headquarters in Livonia, Chicago, operates a network that includes 131 senior living communities, 106 care facilities, 125 urgent care facilities, and 92 hospitals in addition to home and hospice services. The elderly and underprivileged population is the target audience for Trinity Health’s services. Based on the quantity of programs offered, the organization is among the top suppliers of the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). PACE is a Medicare program that offers individuals 65 years of age and older medical and social health services.
Tenet Healthcare – 60 hospitals
Tenet Healthcare is a provider of healthcare services that runs outpatient facilities such as surgical hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, emergency care centers, and micro-hospitals in addition to acute care and specialty hospitals. The company, which has its headquarters in Dallas, Texas, runs 550 healthcare facilities and 60 hospitals. Tenet offers its services through the divisions of United Surgical Partners International (USPI) and Conifer Health Solutions in addition to a hospital operations segment. Sixty acute care and specialty hospitals are part of the hospital operations segment; ambulatory surgery centers and surgical hospitals are part of the USPI segment.
CommonSpirit Health – 140 hospitals
US healthcare provider CommonSpirit Health is headquartered in Colorado and serves 21 states. Chicago-based CommonSpirit was established in 2019 as a result of the union of Colorado-based Catholic Health Initiatives and San Francisco-based Dignity Health. 140 hospitals and over 1,500 care locations, including critical access hospitals, community health centers, academic health centers, teaching hospitals, and home health agencies, are run by CommonSpirit. Through partnerships and affiliations, it also conducts clinical research programs and offers virtual care services and precision medicine solutions. The organization has 150,000 workers, including 40,000 nurses and over 25,000 doctors and advanced care providers.
HCA Healthcare – 175 hospitals
The HCA Healthcare system, one of the best healthcare organizations, is available in 20 US states. With its headquarters located in Nashville, Tennessee, the organization consists of 175 hospitals that offer more than 47,000 licensed beds, including general and acute care hospitals, five psychiatric hospitals, and two rehabilitation hospitals. With 46, Florida has the most hospitals connected to the health system. Texas comes in second with 45, followed by Tennessee with 14.
In addition, HCA runs over 2,300 ambulatory care locations, including walk-in clinics, physician offices, emergency rooms, endoscopy centers, and emergency care centers. This health system also includes hospice and community-based services, diagnostic and imaging centers, radiation and oncology therapy centers, physical therapy and rehabilitation centers, and rehabilitation centers.
Encompass Health – 143 hospitals
Encompass Health is a network of rehabilitation hospitals that provides both facility-based and home-based patient care. It was founded in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1984. The network of this health system spans 35 US states and consists of 143 inpatient rehabilitation hospitals with 9,849 licensed beds. Texas leads the nation with 26 hospitals connected to the health system, followed by Florida with 14, Pennsylvania and Tennessee with 9, and Florida with 14.
In 34 states, Encompass Health also runs 96 hospice organizations and 251 home health agencies. Texas has 65 home health and hospice agencies, more than any other state. Alabama has 52, Georgia has 25, Florida has 21, and Oklahoma has 21.
Ascension Health – 143 hospitals
Ascension Health Alliance, also known as Ascension Health, is a US healthcare organization with headquarters in Missouri that provides services in 19 states and the District of Columbia. Within the company’s network, there are over 2,600 care sites, including over 40 senior living facilities with over 28,000 beds and 143 hospitals. Primary care as well as specialty care are offered by the hospitals associated with this health system. They are experts in family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics and urgent care, oncology, cardiology, neurology, and orthopedics.
For the fiscal year that ended in June 2021, Ascension Health recorded 14.8 million physician office and clinic visits, three million ER visits, and over 580,000 surgery visits. Over 150,000 associates and 40,000 aligned providers work for it.
Select Medical Corporation – 134 hospitals
In 46 US states as well as the District of Columbia, Select Medical Corporation is a healthcare company that owns and runs critical illness recovery hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, outpatient rehabilitation centers, and occupational health centers. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania-based Select Medical operates a network of 1,881 outpatient rehabilitation clinics, 30 rehabilitation hospitals, and 104 critical illness recovery hospitals. Through its subsidiary Concentra, the company also runs 518 occupational health facilities in 41 states.
Patients with complex medical needs and critical illnesses are served by critical illness recovery hospitals, while patients in need of intensive physical rehabilitation are catered to by rehabilitation hospitals. The company runs outpatient rehabilitation centers with speech, occupational, and physical therapy services.
Community Health Systems – 83 hospitals
In 46 US states as well as the District of Columbia, Select Medical Corporation is a healthcare company that owns and runs critical illness recovery hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, outpatient rehabilitation centers, and occupational health centers. Select Medical, based in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, manages a network that includes 104 critical illness recovery hospitals, 30 rehabilitation hospitals, and 1,881 outpatient rehabilitation clinics. The company also manages 518 occupational health facilities in 41 states through its subsidiary Concentra.
While rehabilitation hospitals tend to patients in need of extensive physical rehabilitation, critical illness recovery hospitals provide care for patients with complex medical needs and critical illnesses. The company runs outpatient rehabilitation centers with speech, occupational, and physical therapy services.
Scion Health – 79 hospitals
Scion Health is a health system with headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky that offers hospital solutions for both acute and post-acute care in 25 US states. The organization manages 79 hospitals, comprising 18 community hospital campuses and 61 acute care hospitals. In December 2021, Scion Health was established after LifePoint Health’s acquisition of Kindred Healthcare. The organization additionally manages behavioral health facilities, sub-acute units, and outpatient centers. Across all of its hospitals and health systems, it has 22,000 employees.
In May 2022, Scion Health announced that it would acquire Cornerstone Healthcare Group, a healthcare organization based in Dallas, Texas. With the acquisition, Scion Health’s network of hospitals will grow even more as 18 specialty hospitals run by Cornerstone are added. With the completion of regulatory approvals, the transaction is anticipated to close in the second half of 2022.
Providence Health & Services – 52 Hospitals
The main office of the healthcare system Providence Health & Services is located in Renton, Washington. With more than 12,000 licensed beds spread across 52 acute care and long-term acute care hospitals in seven states, it is an operator. Along with other health and educational services, it runs more than 900 clinics and 17 supportive housing facilities.
Nine hospitals in the Washington-Montana region, eight hospitals in Oregon, five hospital campuses and over 100 primary care and specialty clinics in Puget Sound, five hospitals and 23 clinics in Alaska, and five hospitals and 23 clinics in Oregon are all operated by Providence Health & Services. Additionally, it runs seven hospitals in West Texas and Eastern New Mexico, twelve acute care hospitals in Southern California, and six hospitals in Northern California.
Conclusion
The Largest Health Systems in the US. play a crucial role in delivering comprehensive healthcare services and shaping public health policies. They address a variety of community needs with a focus on preventive care and community support, and they have vast networks of hospitals and other facilities. Recognizing these systems’ influence on healthcare delivery requires an understanding of them.