These were the HealthLeaders stories on CEOs that readers were most interested in tracking this year.
Hospitals and health systems are closing out 2025 under mounting financial and workforce pressure, forcing leaders to make difficult decisions that will shape the year ahead.
These were the five most-read HealthLeaders stories on CEOs in 2025:
1. Mass General Brigham Suffers $54M Operating Loss in Q1, Anticipates Saving $200M From Layoffs
The health system opened fiscal 2025 with a $53.8 million operating loss, as rising labor, supply costs, and capacity constraints erased revenue gains, prompting its largest-ever round of layoffs.
Under pressure from a projected $250 million budget gap over the next two years, MGB said the cuts and management restructuring are expected to yield more than $200 million in annualized savings.
2. Where Burnout Rates Are Trending Among Healthcare Professions
A national wellbeing report showed that while burnout is easing slightly across much of the healthcare workforce, it remains deeply entrenched and uneven, with some professions experiencing far higher strain than others.
The findings highlight persistent pressures on clinicians and reinforce why workforce wellbeing continues to dominate CEO priorities heading into 2026.
3. Why Mass General Brigham Is Undertaking Largest Layoffs in its History
Citing the aforementioned financial pressures and inefficiencies, MGB initiated what it called the largest staff reductions in its history, eliminating hundreds of nonclinical management and administrative roles across its network.
MGB was one of many hospitals and health systems to cut staff this year as organizations across the country resorted to layoffs to offset rising expenses.
4. Northwell Health's New CEO on Leading Through Change While Preserving the System's 'Soul'
John D'Angelo officially became CEO of Northwell Health in October, succeeding longtime leader Michael Dowling, and he spoke to HealthLeaders about ushering in a new chapter for the health system that seeks to balance transformation with continuity.
D’Angelo, a physician by training who rose through Northwell’s ranks, emphasized preserving a shared sense of purpose and a commitment to patients and caregivers, while accelerating innovation in care delivery and responding to growing demands around chronic disease.
5. Hospitals Face Margin Pressure as Volume Slips While Costs Climb
A recent Kaufman Hall report found that many hospitals were heading into the final quarter of 2025 under significant financial strain as patient volumes decline and non-labor costs surge.
Supplies, drugs and, purchased services all saw cost increases, while uncompensated care also jumped, putting a squeeze on margins just when recovery seemed possible for many health systems.
Jay Asser is the CEO editor for HealthLeaders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Hospital CEOs in 2025 balanced cost-cutting efforts with the urgent need to stabilize and support a strained workforce.