Thomas Frist Jr., MD, is the wealthiest healthcare leader in the U.S. at the start of 2023, according to Forbes' real-time net worth tracker.
Here are the 10 healthcare billionaires at the top right now:
1. Thomas Frist Jr., MD, $21 billion, founded Hospital Corp. of America in 1968.
2. Carl Cook, $10.9 billion, is CEO of medical device manufacturer Cook Group.
3. Reinhold Schmieding, $8.1 billion, started orthopedic surgical tools company Arthrex in 1981 and still owns more than 90 percent of the company.
4. Ronda Stryker, $7.3 billion, is a director of medical equipment company Stryker Corp.
5. Patrick Soon-Shiong, MD, $6.8 billion, was a practicing physician before inventing the cancer medication Abraxane.
6. Ge Li, $6.4 billion, co-founded WuXi AppTec, a research and development and manufacturing company.
7. John Brown, $6.1 billion, ran Stryker Corp. for 32 years.
8. Jon Stryker, $4.6 billion, inherited a stake in Stryker Corp.
9. Pat Stryker, $3.4 billion, inherited a stake in Stryker Corp.
10. Stewart Rahr, $2.8 billion, expanded his father's pharmaceutical company Kinray.