DaVita vs Tenet Healthcare: Founders, CEOs and History
DaVita was founded in 1979 by Total Renal Care, Kent Thiry and is led by Javier J. Rodriguez. Tenet Healthcare was founded in 1969 by Richard Eamer, Leonard Cohen, John Bedrosian and is led by Saum Sutaria.
Company facts
DaVita
- Founded
- 1979
- Headquarters
- Denver, Colorado
- Current CEO
- Javier J. Rodriguez
- Employees
- 78,000
Tenet Healthcare
- Founded
- 1969
- Headquarters
- Dallas, Texas
- Current CEO
- Saum Sutaria
- Employees
- 99,000
Founders
DaVita
Total Renal Care
Total Renal Care grew out of Medical Ambulatory Care, a dialysis operator founded in 1979, and became an independent company in the mid-1990s. Through the 1990s it acquired many independent dialysis clinics and in 1998 merged with Renal Treatment Centers.
Kent Thiry
Kent Thiry became CEO of Total Renal Care in October 1999, when it was in financial crisis. He led the turnaround, the 2000 rebrand to DaVita, and the 'Village' culture, in which employees are 'teammates' and he was known as 'Mayor'.
Tenet Healthcare
Richard Eamer
Richard Eamer was a fiercely visionary American corporate attorney, highly aggressive healthcare executive, and the profoundly influential CEO and founding patriarch fundamentally responsible for architecting National Medical Enterprises (NME), the massive his…
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen was a highly astute American healthcare attorney, fiercely pragmatic corporate operator, and the profoundly influential commercial co-founder fundamentally responsible for the incredibly robust early capitalization and legal structuring of the ma…
John Bedrosian
John Bedrosian was an absolutely brilliant American healthcare attorney, fiercely skilled corporate strategist, and the profoundly influential co-founder fundamentally responsible for the highly complex operational and regulatory architecture of the massive Na…
CEOs and their tenures
DaVita
- Kent Thiry1999–2019
Former Chief Executive Officer
Thiry is credited with turning a near-insolvent dialysis company into a leading national provider and building the distinctive 'Village' culture of 'teammates'. His 2012 diversification into physician groups was reversed in 2019.
Source - Javier J. Rodriguez2019–present
Chief Executive Officer
Rodriguez has steered DaVita through COVID-19, labor cost pressure, and flat U.S. volumes. He has expanded international clinics, home dialysis, and Integrated Kidney Care (profitable in 2025), while large buybacks lifted EPS.
Source
Tenet Healthcare
- Jeffrey Barbakow1995–2024
Chief Executive Officer
Barbakow orchestrated the 1995 merger between National Medical Enterprises and American Medical International, creating the modern Tenet Healthcare Corporation, but his tenure was later marked by intense regulatory scrutiny and billing scandals that forced his…
Source - Trevor Fetter2005–2024
Chief Executive Officer
Fetter was appointed CEO in the aftermath of the devastating $900 million Medicare fraud settlement, and he led the agonizing, decade-long process of cultural transformation, operational turnaround, and financial deleveraging that eventually stabilized the com…
Source - Saum Sutaria2019–present
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
CEO since 2021 and chairman, Sutaria has expanded USPI's ambulatory surgery footprint, sold non-core hospitals, reduced debt and returned capital through buybacks, lifting the consolidated adjusted EBITDA margin to 21.4% in 2025.
Source
Timeline: DaVita and Tenet Healthcare side by side
1969Tenet Healthcare
Incorporation of Pacific Medical Center
The legal predecessor to Tenet Healthcare was incorporated in California as Pacific Medical Center, establishing the foundational corporate entity that would eventually be acquired and restructured into the modern Tenet enterprise.
1979DaVita
Medical Ambulatory Care Founded
The dialysis business that later became Total Renal Care and then DaVita is founded.
1981Tenet Healthcare
Founding of City of Faith Medical Center
Televangelist Oral Roberts founded the $80 million City of Faith Medical and Research Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a catastrophic financial failure that filed for bankruptcy in 1987 and whose assets were later acquired by National Medical Enterprises.
1995Tenet Healthcare
Merger of NME and AMI
National Medical Enterprises (NME) completed its $2.2 billion merger with American Medical International (AMI), instantly creating the second-largest for-profit hospital chain in the US with over 100 hospitals and rebranding as Tenet Healthcare Corporation.
1999DaVita
Kent Thiry Joins Total Renal Care
Kent Thiry becomes CEO and begins a turnaround of the dialysis provider that later becomes DaVita.
2000DaVita
DaVita Name Adopted
Total Renal Care is renamed DaVita, marking the start of the company's new identity.
2005DaVita
Gambro Healthcare Acquisition
DaVita acquires Gambro Healthcare's U.S. dialysis business, significantly expanding its national clinic footprint.
2006Tenet Healthcare
$900 Million Medicare Fraud Settlement
Tenet Healthcare agreed to pay $900 million to resolve federal and state allegations of systematic upcoding, unbundling, and illegal kickbacks to physicians, marking the largest healthcare fraud settlement in US history at the time and forcing a cultural and o…
2012DaVita
HealthCare Partners Acquired
DaVita acquires HealthCare Partners to enter physician-group and integrated care services.
2014Tenet Healthcare
Acquisition of USPI Controlling Stakes
Tenet began acquiring controlling stakes in its United Surgical Partners International (USPI) joint ventures, consolidating the EBITDA of these profitable ambulatory surgery centers onto its balance sheet to drive outpatient growth.
2019DaVita
Optum Sale Completed
DaVita completes the sale of DaVita Medical Group to Optum and returns focus to kidney care.
2019DaVita
Javier Rodriguez Becomes CEO
Javier J. Rodriguez succeeds Kent Thiry as Chief Executive Officer.
2019Tenet Healthcare
Appointment of CEO Saum Sutaria
Saum Sutaria was appointed CEO of Tenet Healthcare, initiating a new era of financial discipline, aggressive debt reduction, and strategic optimization that would see the company retire over $4 billion in long-term debt by FY2024.
2024Tenet Healthcare
FY2024 Revenue Reaches $20.33 Billion
Tenet Healthcare reported $20.68 billion in consolidated FY2024 revenue, generating $2.74 billion in Adjusted EBITDA and reducing its Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA leverage ratio to 2.1x, positioning the company for a potential investment-grade credit rating upg…
2025DaVita
Revenue Reaches $13.643B
DaVita reports $13.643B in 2025 revenue, $1.024B of free cash flow, and its first profitable year in Integrated Kidney Care.
2026DaVita
Q2 2026 EPS Up 36%
Q2 2026 revenue rises 5.2% to $3.554B and diluted EPS reaches $4.02. DaVita serves about 298,500 patients at 3,266 centers.
Acquisitions
DaVita
- HealthCare Partners2012$4.4B
- Gambro Healthcare (US dialysis business)2005$3B
Tenet Healthcare
- Various USPI Joint Venture Controlling Stakes2014Undisclosed
- American Medical International (AMI)1995$3.4B
- City of Faith Medical Center Assets1987Undisclosed
Questions about DaVita vs Tenet Healthcare
Who is the CEO of DaVita Inc. and Tenet Healthcare Corporation?
DaVita Inc. is led by Javier J. Rodriguez and Tenet Healthcare Corporation is led by Saum Sutaria. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was DaVita Inc. founded vs Tenet Healthcare Corporation?
Tenet Healthcare Corporation was founded in 1969 — 10 years before DaVita Inc., which was founded in 1979. Tenet Healthcare Corporation's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger DaVita Inc..
How many employees does DaVita Inc. have compared to Tenet Healthcare Corporation?
DaVita Inc. employs approximately 78,000 people, while Tenet Healthcare Corporation employs approximately 99,000. Tenet Healthcare Corporation has the larger workforce at 99,000 employees, compared to DaVita Inc.'s 78,000. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are DaVita Inc. and Tenet Healthcare Corporation headquartered?
Both DaVita Inc. and Tenet Healthcare Corporation are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded DaVita Inc. and Tenet Healthcare Corporation?
DaVita Inc. was founded by Total Renal Care, Kent Thiry. Tenet Healthcare Corporation was founded by Richard Eamer, Leonard Cohen, John Bedrosian.
Which company has a longer operating history — DaVita Inc. or Tenet Healthcare Corporation?
Tenet Healthcare Corporation has been operating for approximately 57 years, making it the more established of the two companies. DaVita Inc. has been in operation for around 47 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the DaVita vs Tenet Healthcare overview