Dr. Frist began his hospital administrative career shortly after his service as a military flight surgeon. In 1968, he founded HCA in Nashville, with his father, the late Dr. Thomas F. Frist, Sr., and the late Jack C. Massey. In 1977, Dr. Frist became President of HCA and subsequently became Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer in 1987. Upon the merger of HCA with Columbia in February 1994, Dr. Frist served as Chairman of the Board and later as Vice Chairman, following the company’s April 1995 merger with HealthTrust Inc. He returned as Chairman and CEO of the company in 1997. He served as Chairman and CEO until January 2001 and as Chairman until January 2002.
Dr. Frist is Chairman of the Board of the Frist Foundation, Chairman of the Board of the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, past Vice President of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust, past chair of the Board of Governors of the United Way of America, and founder of the United Way’s Alexis de Tocqueville Society. He also serves on the Board of Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville. From 1984 to 1987, Dr. Frist served on the Board of Directors of IBM, and is a member of the Business Council. He was the 1999 Chair of the Nashville area Chamber of Commerce. Currently, Dr. Frist is a member of the Board of the Nashville Community Foundation.
A native of Nashville, Dr. Frist received his bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University and his M.D. degree from Washington University School of Medicine. |