Chris Cosby was recently named head of the Parkridge Health System in Chattanooga, which comprises six medical facilities under the HCA Healthcare umbrella. Cosby has spent 18 years working in medical leadership roles, including at nonprofit, government and for-profit hospitals in Alabama, Georgia and now Tennessee. Prior to joining Park Ridge, Cosby served as CEO of Tenet Health in Memphis at St. Francis Health Care. He notes that he had been promoted at an average of every 19 months during his career.
Cosby plans to expand Parkridge, adding facilities at both the Glenwood and Main campuses. However, his main focus is on the people within the organization and the patients being served. Cosby states that he wants to be the preferred provider in the market for patients and the employer of choice for employees. Cosby is originally from Dothan, Alabama, where he learned about medical care from his mother’s surgical centers, while his father taught him about treating people through running a heating and cooling business.
Cosby attained a healthcare administration degree from Auburn University and an MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Although he was offered the CEO position at an Alabama hospital, he thought he needed more experience and instead took a chief operating officer role at his HCA hospital in Augusta, Georgia. He says this turned out to be an excellent decision, allowing him to grow as a healthcare leader. Cosby reminds people that chasing titles and money is not always the best decision.