The farm grew rapidly over the next two decades by acquiring and building new hospitals and contracting to manage additional facilities for their owners. The firm merged with Columbia Hospital Corporation to become Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation in 1994, and Columbia founder Richard Scott became chairman and CEO of the combined companies. By 1997 Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation had grown to become one of the largest health-care services companies in the United States, operating 343 hospitals, 136 outpatient surgery centers, and approximately 550 home-health locations. It also provided extensive outpatient and ancillary services in thirty-seven states, as well as in the United Kingdom and Switzerland. The firm’s comprehensive network included more than 285,000 employees and used economics of scale to increase profits.