For-profit hospital chain HCA Healthcare announced a deal to acquire The College of Health Care Professions, an in-person and online educator that prepares more than 8,000 students per year for non-physician healthcare positions.
Terms for the deal announced Wednesday afternoon were not disclosed. A letter to students from the school’s chancellor and CEO, Eric Bing, said the acquisition would close “in the coming months, subject to customary regulatory approvals.”
For HCA, the agreement opens a new point of entry for highly demanded healthcare workers to begin their careers at the 189-hospital system, which in recent years has backed or taken ownership interests in multiple healthcare training programs.
Texas-based CHCP was founded by physicians in 1988 and has since served over 52,000 students. It offers more than 20 accredited programs that award certificates, associate degrees and bachelor’s degrees. Students can pursue a range of patient care, technical and administrative roles, including vocational nursing and imaging. The college’s offerings are designed to be flexible around adult students’ needs, and depending on the program, can be pursued either in-person on one of CHCP’s 10 campuses or online.
Bing, in his letter to students, said the acquisition will not affect student program continuity or financial aid, or prospective students’ enrollment process and admission criteria. Rather, he told the students the combination would expand their career pathways with broader clinical and externship opportunities, bolster curricula, new program development and potential further education through HCA’s affiliated brands.
“CHCP and HCA Healthcare are committed to transparency, continuity, and protecting the educational pathways students have chosen,” Bing, who will maintain his position post-acquisition, wrote.” “Healthcare needs dedicated professionals now more than ever. This new chapter strengthens CHCP's role in preparing graduates who are ready to serve patients, families and communities with skill and compassion.”
The parties are no strangers to collaboration. In 2023, the pair launched a 12-week medical assistant training program that served as a funnel for HCA’s Texas urgent cares. That program has seen over 100 graduates since launch, according to Wednesday’s announcement.
HCA, more broadly, has several irons in the healthcare education fire.
Most prominent has been its 2020 acquisition of a majority ownership position in Galen College of Nursing, which it has expanded from five campuses to 25 across the country. It also operates nursing colleges in Kansas City, Missouri, and Miami, Florida, as well as a nursing school within California’s Pepperdine University. Wednesday’s announcement also highlighted the million-dollar healthcare education grants HCA’s charity arm provided to Texas and Florida high schools.
“The College of Health Care Professions [CHCP] has built a strong legacy of preparing skilled and compassionate healthcare professionals,” Sam Hazen, CEO of HCA Healthcare, said in the announcement. “Together, we are investing in the future of healthcare and strengthening the talent pipeline that will serve patients and communities.”
HCA is the country’s largest for-profit health system, with 189 hospitals and around 2,500 ambulatory care sites. Across 2025, it grew revenues 7.1% to $75.6 billion and reported $6.8 billion of net income.