Every company has a board of directors. Eric Evans says every leader needs one, too.
In this episode of Backstory Sessions, Eric, CEO of Surgery Partners, joins Jarrard President and Founding Partner Anne Hancock Toomey for a candid conversation recorded live at the Nashville Health Care Council’s Healthcare Sessions 2026.
He spent 14 years at Tenet Healthcare, rising from business development director eventually to president of Tenet’s hospital operations. Seven years ago, he made the jump to Surgery Partners, one of the country’s largest operators of outpatient surgical facilities.
Few leaders have run both sides of the hospital-outpatient divide. Eric says the two work best as partners, not rivals.
Key topics:
- Which procedures could leave the hospital next – and why hospitals remain the backbone of care
- What serving as chief of staff to Tenet’s CEO – “like a second MBA” – taught him before he took the CEO seat
- How AI-driven clarity on clinical variation could help payers and providers take cost out of the system together
Eric closes with advice to his younger self: Enjoy the journey, and trust people until they prove you can’t.
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