Most-Read CEO Stories of 2024

Here are the HealthLeaders stories on CEOs that readers were most interested in following this past year.

From major strategic moves to an unforeseen tragedy, healthcare featured several developments over the past 12 months that grabbed the attention of leaders at the highest level.

These were the five most-read HealthLeaders stories on CEOs in 2024:

1. UnitedHealth Group CEO Defends Company's Denial Practices, 'Critical Role' in Healthcare

One of the biggest stories across the industry this year was the murder of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson.

Following the shooting, UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty spoke to employees and defended the company’s oft-criticized denial practices, which only added fuel to the social commentary fire.

"Our role is a critical role, and we make sure that care is safe, appropriate, and it's delivered when people need it," Witty said. "We guard against the pressures that exist for unsafe care or for unnecessary care to be delivered in a way which makes the whole system too complex and ultimately unsustainable."

2. Walmart Pulls Back on Health Centers as Retailers Struggle to Scale

Retailers took their lumps this year as they found the primary care business to be a tough nut to crack.

Walmart was one of the organizations that decided to pull back on its primary care push by delaying the opening of its health centers.

Not long after, however, Walmart announced it was shuttering all 51 of its health clinics, along with its virtual care services.

3. Top Healthcare Trends of 2024: What Executives Are Watching

In HealthLeaders’ coverage of the CEO market this year through interviews, research, and virtual and in-person events, trends emerged for topmost executives to track.

Among the eight highlighted trends were “mounting financial pressures,” which have plagued hospitals and health systems everywhere as labor costs have increased due to workforce shortages, as well as a “surge in M&A” with organizations choosing to pursue dealmaking to reshape portfolios or achieve financial stability.

4. CVS Shakes Up Aetna Leadership, Strategy as Insurer's Struggles Continue

CVS had a tumultuous 2024 as it significantly reshaped its leadership to chart its course for the coming fiscal years.

In the summer, the retail giant ousted Aetna president Brian Kane while CEO Karen Lynch took the reins on operations following a poor second quarter.

In October, the company also moved on from Lynch and put David Joyner in charge, with the new appointee most recently serving as executive vice president of CVS Health and president of CVS Caremark.

5. Ascension Continues Divesting, Sells 9 Hospitals to Prime Healthcare

Ascension was an active seller on the M&A market this year as it worked to reduce expenses and narrow its focus to key regions.

One notable sale was its deal with Prime Healthcare to offload nine Illinois hospitals and four sites of care.

For Prime, the transaction marked the largest acquisition in the organization’s history and came with a commitment from the health system to invest $250 million into the facilities with no debt put on the hospitals.