HCA Healthcare, Inc. — Ethics Grade D+

HCA Healthcare, Inc. receives an overall ethics grade of D+ (39/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Healthcare. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 20
• privacy: 70
• consumer: 30
• environment: 55
• humanRights: 40

Documented incidents (3)

• Unsafe Staffing Ratios (high, 2023) — HCA has faced multiple strikes and lawsuits from nursing unions alleging the company intentionally understaffs facilities to maximize profits. These conditions are linked to increased nurse burnout and potential risks to patient safety.
• Aggressive Billing and Upcoding (high, 2022) — A major investigation into HCA's emergency room billing practices suggested the hospital chain pushed doctors to 'upcode' patient records to charge higher rates to insurers and Medicare. Estimates suggest billions in excess charges.
• Unnecessary Cardiac Procedures (high, 2022) — Internal reports and lawsuits alleged surgeons at several HCA facilities performed invasive heart surgeries on patients who did not require them to boost surgical volume and revenue targets.

Documented good deeds

• Humanitarian Relief Efforts — HCA donated significant funds and medical supplies to relief efforts in Florida following Hurricane Ian and for the crisis in Ukraine.

Ethical alternatives

• Kaiser Permanente — Integrated non-profit model focuses more on preventative health and long-term outcomes.