KHI NEWS SERVICE
KANSAS CITY, Kan., March 27
The University of Kansas Hospital announced Tuesday that Bob Page, the hospital”s chief operating officer, will become the hospital”s president and chief executive officer this summer.
Page will succeed Irene Cumming, who in July will become the president and chief executive officer of the University HealthSystem Consortium, an organization of academic medical centers and their hospitals.
“Irene Cumming built an incredible team that turned around The University of Kansas Hospital,” said Dr. George Farha, chairman of the University of Kansas Hospital Authority Board, in a written statement. “We have full confidence that the remarkable success story will continue under the leadership of Bob Page.
We would be hard pressed to find anyone in the country with his track record of leadership for quality patient care in an academic medical environment.”
Page said he and Cumming will work together to advance a “broad outline” for an agreement on new affiliations for the KU Medical Center, including with St. Luke”s Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., and an expanded agreement with the university hospital.
“The hospital has to remain vigilant in these talks to ensure that investment in patient care can continue,” Page said in a prepared statement. “Irene Cumming and I will continue to work together with the rest of the leadership team to ensure that any affiliation agreement allows the hospital to continue its commitment to our patients.”
The University of Kansas Hospital Authority Board voted on Tuesday to accept the broad, non-binding outline and framework for discussions about the expanded affiliations.
Included in the outline:
* Plans to realign the current physician”s practice at the hospital with the university;
* A formula for support for physicians and the school of medicine from hospital revenues that would increase the hospital”s contribution from $30 million to $42 million;
* A plan for the hospital to fully fund 25 new residency positions and 14.5 new residency positions that have been transferred from the Veterans Administration;
* A commitment that all department chairs will be based on the KU medical center campus;
* Continued talks on a new medical office building on the KU medical center campus, and
* Branding restrictions for St. Luke”s Hospital.