The History of Nashville’s Healthcare Industry
The roots of Nashville’s healthcare community began in the 1960s, shortly after the establishment of Medicare and Medicaid, with the founding of three major hospital companies: Hospital Corp. of America (HCA), Hospital Affiliates International and General Care Corp. Over the ensuing decades, these companies will be responsible for hundreds of mergers, acquisitions and new companies. They will inspire entire industry trends and they will turn the American healthcare system, traditionally a collection of locally owned and operated operations, into an industry.