Rocco Ortenzio was an Italo American businessman and philanthropist, who during his career founded several health care companies. He died on October 26, 2024.

Business career

Ortenzio co-founded Select Medical Corporation in 1996 with his son, Robert. Select Medical "operate hospitals within hospitals," and "provide acute long-term care to critically ill patients." Beginning in February 1997, Ortenzio held the position of chairman and

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

for Select Medical: he held these positions until that September. In the same year, he was awarded the Business Achievement Award from the West Shore Chamber of Commerce. Since that time, he has served as its executive chairman. In 1998, Select Medical bought fellow health care provider Intensiva for approximately $110 million. In February 2010, it was estimated that both Rocco and his son had made "about $200 million from salary, benefits and share sales since founding Select in November 1996." In September 2009, they sold 90% of Select Medical to the public through shares, but retained around $200 million worth of the company, or 10 percent. In 1995, Rocco Ortenzio sold his company Continental Medical Systems to Horizon Healthcare Corporation for $502 million in stock. He had founded Continental in 1986, and held the positions of chairman and chief executive officer until July 1995. After the merger, he became the vice chairman of Horizon, which became one of the largest companies of its kind in the U.S. Horizon/CMS was eventually acquired by

HealthSouth Encompass Health Corporation, based in Birmingham, Alabama, is the nation's largest provider of inpatient rehabilitative services, offering facility-based care through its network of 166 Rehabilitation hospital, inpatient rehabilitation hospital ...

in 1997.

Philanthropy and community involvement

Ortenzio was also made a Knight of the Order of St. Sylvester, on October 21, 2007. Ortenzio and his son, Robert, along with Select Medical, made the largest-ever private donation ($5.2 million) to the

Harrisburg University of Science and Technology Harrisburg University of Science & Technology, commonly referred to as Harrisburg University (HU), is a Private university, private Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM-focused university in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with an a ...

Political activities

Ortenzio donated $1 million to

Restore Our Future Restore Our Future is a political action committee (PAC) created to support Mitt Romney in the 2012 U.S. Presidential election. A so-called Super PAC, Restore Our Future is permitted to raise and spend unlimited amounts of corporate, union, and ...

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...

Super PAC Independent expenditure-only political action committees, better known as super PACs, are a type of political action committee (PAC) in the United States. Unlike traditional PACs, super PACs are legally allowed to fundraise unlimited amounts of m ...

, in 2012. Ortenzio has also contributed to Bob Casey, Jr.,

Pat Toomey Patrick Joseph Toomey Jr. (born November 17, 1961) is an American businessman and politician who served as a United States senator from Pennsylvania from 2011 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he served three terms as the U.S. represen ...

Lee Terry Lee Raymond Terry (born January 29, 1962) is a former American politician and a senior law firm adviser. From 1999 to 2015, he served eight terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives for as a ...

Bob Corker Robert Phillips Corker Jr. (born August 24, 1952) is an American businessman and politician who served as a United States Senator from Tennessee from 2007 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as Chair of the Senate Foreign Rela ...

, and other members of Congress.

References

American health care chief executives American philanthropists {{US-CEO-stub