Ascension (healthcare system)

Ascension is a large private <a href="/facts/Catholic_healthcare_systems_in_the_United_States/cW6Q4oxk">Catholic</a> <a href="/facts/Health_system/LpM7ISXR">healthcare system</a> in the <a href="/facts/United_States/P0sCdLe5">United States</a>. Ascension had 142,000 employees, 142 hospitals, and 40 <a href="/facts/Senior_living/nI8LCVmQ">senior living</a> facilities operating in 19 states and the <a href="/facts/District_of_Columbia/enXPK156">District of Columbia</a> as of the end of 2021. Ascension is one of the largest nonprofit and one of the largest Catholic health systems in the United States. It also operates a number of for-profit firms, including subsidiaries involved in <a href="/facts/Private_equity/DpqoqjBH">private equity</a>, venture capital, insurance, medical software, and pharmacy delivery.
Formed in 1999 from the merger of two Catholic healthcare organizations, Ascension is bound by the <a href="/facts/Ethical_and_Religious_Directives_for_Catholic_Health_Care_Services/Kt6lssjb">Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services</a>. Ascension had an operating revenue of $27.2 billion at the end of fiscal year 2021. The president and CEO is Joseph R. Impicciche, one of the highest-paid nonprofit CEOs in the United States.
Ascension has faced a number of investigations and controversies. A 2022 <a href="/facts/New_York_Times/T9marWVX">New York Times</a> investigation alleged Ascension hospitals instigated a staffing crisis via system-wide layoffs, leading nurses and doctors to file complaints about possible preventable deaths. <a href="/facts/National_Nurses_United/fYDclgNK">National Nurses United</a> has alleged that Ascension has increased <a href="/facts/Maternal_mortality/UquTVxdf">maternal mortality</a> by consolidating and then closing obstetrics units.
In 2024, Ascension was a victim of a severe cyberattack that affected operations for several weeks.

Ascension (healthcare system) open-in-new

Ascension (healthcare system)