Turnover at the top: Utah hospital CEOs in a turbulent era

This retrospective study describes the rate and causes of CEO turnover between 1973 and 1987 in Utah community and noncommunity hospitals. Both voluntary (i.e., self-initiated) and involuntary (i.e., organization-initiated) turnover were examined. For the overall period, the annual average turnover rate was 16.6 percent; the major component was the category "taking another hospital administration position or promoted within a multihospital system." In recent years, the turnover rate has been increasing, and the category of those being forced out has been comprising an increasing percentage of the turnover. For the 15-year period, the lowest rate of turnover and turnover due to force out were in the largest hospitals--all of which are urban, all but one of which belongs to a multihospital system, and none of which is for profit. Future research should incorporate retrospective and prospective studies to better understand, predict, and control hospital CEO turnover.