Ronald Rittenmeyer, the former CEO and executive chairman of Tenet Healthcare, died Tuesday, according to an obituary and statement from the hospital and ambulatory surgery chain.
Rittenmeyer, who was 75, had resigned from his role on Tenet’s board Oct. 1 due to “personal health reasons.” J. Robert Kerrey, a former U.S. senator for the state of Nebraska who has been with the board since 2001, was tapped to replace him.
A cause of death was not disclosed in Rittenmeyer’s obituary or by Tenet.
The healthcare executive joined Tenet’s board in 2010 and in 2017 stepped up as executive chair to help the company select a replacement for the departing CEO, Trevor Fetter. Rittenmeyer reportedly impressed the board and was asked to step into the open role.
Rittenmeyer led Tenet as CEO until handing off the job to then-Chief Operating Officer Saum Sutaria, M.D., in September 2021. Even in the executive chairman position, he remained a fixture of the company’s investor calls and virtual conference presentations.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Ron Rittenmeyer, a dear friend and colleague,” Tenet said in a statement. “Ron’s commitment to advancing healthcare will have a lasting impact on Tenet Healthcare and the communities we serve. Our thoughts are with the Rittenmeyer family, and we are respecting their request for privacy.”
Alongside weathering the COVID-19 pandemic, Rittenmeyer’s time as CEO and executive chairman was dominated by a multiyear restructure.
Tenet divested itself from several underperforming markets, shored up its investments in high-acuity services and greatly expanded its ambulatory surgery subsidiary, United Surgical Partners International, via an acquisition and development deal with SurgCenter Development in 2021.
The company reported nearly $16 billion in revenue through 2021. It currently operates 61 acute care and specialty hospitals, operates or has ownership interests in over 465 ambulatory surgery centers and surgical hospitals, and operates roughly 110 other outpatient facilities.
Prior to Tenet, Rittenmeyer had held CEO and other top positions at Millennium Health, Expert Global Solutions and Electronic Data Systems. His career also included leadership roles within private equity, food distribution, environmental services and transportation.
Services for Rittenmeyer will be held next week, according to his obituary.