ST. GEORGE — Fortune magazine named Intermountain Healthcare’s President and CEO Dr. Marc Harrison as No. 26 on its list of the World’s Greatest Leaders, which was published on Thursday.
The annual list includes the top 50 men and women that the business magazine says are “transforming the world and inspiring others to do the same.”
Fortune’s listing on Harrison says his impact on health care transformation is the key to his inclusion on the prestigious list.
Specifically, Fortune praised Harrison’s leadership in launching Civica Rx, a Utah-based nonprofit generic drug manufacturer and distributor that’s working to make generic medications more available and affordable in hospitals across the nation.
Read more: Hospital group based in Utah will make own generic drugs, promising to save patients millions
“Health workers often struggle for access to essential generic drugs, thwarted by price hikes, shortages, and drug-industry whims,” Fortune reports. “Enter Harrison, CEO of a top Utah health system, with a bold fix: With six partners, he formed an independent nonprofit drugmaker, Civica Rx. The venture has signed up some 900 health systems as customers; it should be producing generics by year’s end.”
Harrison is the only health system leader in the world to ever be named to Fortune’s list. He’s also the only Utah leader to receive the honor.
“Marc is a force for positive change in healthcare and beyond,” Gail Miller, chairwoman of Intermountain Healthcare’s board of trustees, said in a press release from Intermountain. “I have the privilege of having a front row seat to his outstanding leadership and am witness to his significant involvement in our communities. Marc is recognized locally and nationally for his dedicated work in making quality healthcare more accessible, more affordable and more people-centered.”
Harrison said he was humbled to be included among such influential leaders.
“But this honor speaks to Intermountain’s innovative, forward-thinking culture, and the unwavering commitment of each of our caregivers to helping people live the healthiest lives possible,” he said. “The future is bright for Intermountain and the people we serve.”
Other leaders on this year’s list include Bill and Melinda Gates, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, actor Michael J. Fox, and Apple CEO Tim Cook. Fortune’s editorial board and panel of advisers select the nominees for the annual list, which is now in its 7th iteration.
Harrison’s inclusion on Fortune’s list adds to his growing reputation as a national influencer. In 2018 he was named No. 2 on both Modern Healthcare’s 50 Most Influential Physician Executives and 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare lists.
Harrison was named president and CEO of Intermountain Healthcare in October of 2016. Intermountain is a not-for-profit system of 24 hospitals, 160 clinics, a medical group with 2,300 employed physicians and advanced practice clinicians, a health insurance company called SelectHealth, and other health services.
For more information, visit the Intermountain Healthcare website.
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