R. Milton Johnson served as the CEO of HCA Healthcare from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2018. Before stepping into the CEO role, he was the President and CFO since February 2011, and he has a long history with the company, starting in 1998. His leadership is significant, not only because he guided one of the largest healthcare companies in the U.S., but also because he worked hard to align executive pay with company performance. In 2018, he earned a total compensation of over $21 million, which included a strong performance bonus and vested stock options. He personally owned about 881,823 shares in HCA, which shows his commitment to the company's success. Johnson focused on maintaining quality patient care as a key performance metric, making sure that the welfare of patients wasn't lost while chasing profits. After retirement, he continued with HCA as Chairman until the yearly stockholder meeting in 2019, showcasing a smooth transition in leadership. Overall, Johnson's experience and strategic thinking led HCA through important growth while ensuring the company balanced profitability with patient care quality.

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R. Milton Johnson

Ex-CEO of HCA Healthcare

Education

N/A

Field of Expertise

Finance & Banking - Finance

Sector of Economy

Healthcare

Born

June 30, 1954 - 70 years ago

CEO of HCA Healthcare for

4 years 11 months (Jan 2014 - Dec 2018)

Previous Experience

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of HCA

Rivals

Competitors/colleagues of R. Milton Johnson

Suzanne D. Snapper

CEO of The Ensign Group

2023 Compensation

Stock

$1.98M

Salary

$427.69K

Bonus

$4.91M

Other

$7.23K

Total Holdings

$41.00M

Christopher H. Hunter

CEO of Acadia Healthcare

2023 Compensation

Stock

$0.00

Salary

$1.00M

Bonus

$1.65M

Other

$962.00

Total Holdings

$6.23M

Marc D. Miller

CEO of Universal Health Services

2023 Compensation

Stock

$0.00

Salary

$1.35M

Bonus

$3.04M

Other

$47.21K

Total Holdings

$152.74M

Mark J. Tarr

CEO of Encompass Health Corporation

2023 Compensation

Stock

$3.28M

Salary

$1.05M

Bonus

$0.00

Other

$66.92K

Total Holdings

$51.02M

Saumya Sutaria

CEO of Tenet Healthcare

2023 Compensation

Stock

$8.25M

Salary

$1.50M

Bonus

$6.30M

Other

$587.72K

Total Holdings

$50.77M

Sarah M. London

CEO of Centene

2023 Compensation

Stock

$0.00

Salary

$1.40M

Bonus

$2.79M

Other

$285.34K

Total Holdings

$40.36M

Holdings

See how much did R. Milton Johnson make over time.

During his time as CEO, R. Milton Johnson held considerable stock in HCA Healthcare, with about 881,823 shares at one point. This ownership reflects a significant personal stake in the company's success. His share value fluctuated over the years, aligning with the performance of HCA on the stock market. By 2018, his shares were valued significantly higher, alongside his large total compensation package of over $21 million that year. This strong alignment between his personal financial interests and the company's performance reinforced his commitment to driving both growth and quality in healthcare services. His direct involvement and investment in the company provided reassurance to shareholders that he believed in HCA's direction and future prospects.

Total Stock Sold

$23.15M

HCA

$23.15M

281,284 HCA shares

What if they kept their stock?

If R. Milton Johnson didn't sell their stock, today they would have:
Extra HCA281,284 shares worth $30.40M.
This is 31.28% and $7.24M more than what they got when they sold the stock.

Charitable Transactions

HCA

435,899 shares

HCA

Recent Charitable Transactions

HCA

7,480 shares

HCA

Jan 30, 2019

Charity

HCA

21,795 shares

HCA

Jan 31, 2018

Charity

HCA

25,000 shares

HCA

Feb 22, 2017

Charity

HCA

59,000 shares

HCA

Jan 29, 2016

Charity

HCA

71,607 shares

HCA

Nov 8, 2012

Charity

HCA

251,017 shares

HCA

Nov 5, 2012

Charity

Insider Trading

See recent insider trades of R. Milton Johnson.

HCA

73,374 shares

HCA

Feb 21, 2019

Received

HCA

$749.95K

HCA at $139.06/share

Jan 30, 2019

Received

HCA

7,480 shares

HCA

Jan 30, 2019

Charity

HCA

124,800 shares

HCA

Feb 22, 2018

Received

HCA

21,795 shares

HCA

Jan 31, 2018

Charity

HCA

25,000 shares

HCA

Feb 22, 2017

Charity

HCA

59,000 shares

HCA

Jan 29, 2016

Charity

HCA

$11.80M

HCA at $83.89/share

Jun 11, 2015

Sale

HCA

$11.24M

HCA at $79.89/share

May 18, 2015

Sale

HCA

5,155 shares

HCA

Feb 25, 2014

Received

Compensation History

See how much did R. Milton Johnson make over time.

R. Milton Johnson's compensation as CEO of HCA Healthcare was quite notable, especially in the context of performance-driven incentives. In 2018, his total earnings surpassed $21 million, which included a base salary of around $1.5 million, a bonus of over $4.3 million, and a substantial vested stock value that accounted for nearly $13.8 million. His pay was closely linked to the company's performance on financial measures and patient care quality, reflecting a compensation philosophy aimed at incentivizing executives to meet specific goals. Throughout his leadership, Johnson's compensation fluctuated based on the company's financial success and quality metrics, reinforcing the idea that pay should reflect contributions to the company’s results. Interestingly, the median salary of HCA's employees was about $56,000, showing the large disparity typical of C-suite compensation in major corporations.

Year

2018

Total Compensation

$20.93M

Salary

$1.49M

Board Justification

The compensation philosophy of HCA Healthcare is to align executive compensation with company performance, peer benchmarking, and retention strategies, ensuring that a significant portion of compensation is performance-based.

Bonus

$4.32M

Board Justification

The amount Mr. Johnson would be entitled to receive for the 2018 fiscal year pursuant to the 2018 PEP and his employment agreement, which amount is also included in the 'Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation' column of the 2018 Summary Compensation Table.

Other

$1.35M

Board Justification

Includes contributions to retirement plans, life insurance premiums, and other compensation.

Restricted Stock

$13.76M(136.82K RSU)

Board Justification

The value of the stock that vested in 2018, including performance share units (PSUs) and restricted stock units (RSUs).

Performance Metrics

The performance metrics for the CEO's compensation in 2018 included financial performance based on EBITDA and quality metrics related to patient care.

Other HCA Healthcare CEOs

Here are other CEOs of HCA Healthcare

Richard M. Bracken

Ex-CEO of HCA Healthcare

January 2009 - December 2013

Samuel N. Hazen

CEO of HCA Healthcare

January 2019 - Present