Rutherford, who retired as CFO of Nashville-based HCA Healthcare in 2024, has worked in healthcare finance for his entire 34-year career. Optional Caption Permission granted by Ensemble Health PartnersBill RutherfordFormer CFO, HCA HealthcareFirst divisional CFO position: 1996Board service: Ensemble Health Partners (2025-present)Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. DAN NIEPOW: What are some of the biggest career lessons you learned from your time at HCA Healthcare? As a result, we see in the industry today more and more health systems becoming more open to external partnerships with organizations like Ensemble. It’s true that when you combine Medicare and Medicaid, they would be the health system's largest payer.