Hospital CEO turnover remained steady in 2016, standing pat at the same 18 percent rate seen over the past three years, according to a report by the American College of Healthcare Executives.
While it's less than the record high of 20 percent in 2013, the level of turnover registered in 2016 has held steady and is among the highest rates calculated over the last two decades.
The numbers indicate that high CEO turnover rates have become the norm, at least in healthcare. ACHE attributes this to a number of factors, including the ongoing consolidation of healthcare organizations, steady movement toward new models of care and retiring leaders from the Baby Boomer era.
ACHE's CEO turnover rates are based on changes in an organization's CEO as reported to the American Hospital Association.
[Also: Physician turnover rate hits all-time high]
The hospital CEO turnover rate was 18 percent in 2009, according to the data, but prior to that it had not hit 18 percent since 1999. The same rate was also posted in 1987 and 1988. Record lows of 13 percent were posted in 1983 and 1990.
Broken down geographically, the District of Columbia topped the list with a considerable 67 percent turnover rate among hospital CEOs, by far outpacing New Hampshire, which was second on the list at 38 percent. Washington came in third at 30 percent.
The lowest rate was recorded in Delaware, at 2 percent. North Dakota and Alaska also posted rates in the single digits, at 7 and 9 percent, respectively.
ACHE said the numbers highlight the importance of having succession plans in place to manage C-suite changes. A good succession plan, the report said, involves naming and preparing immediate successors to those key positions, but also putting an emphasis on developing a pipeline of future leaders.
Twitter: @JELagasse