Prime Healthcare hires longtime health care exec as KC-area CEO

Prime Healthcare hires longtime health care exec as KC-area CEO

Prime Healthcare picked a familiar face to lead its Kansas City region on Monday.

Former Menorah Medical Center CEO Steven Wilkinson will be CEO of the health system's Kansas City region, which includes four area hospitals. Prime Healthcare is based in Ontario, Calif.

“We are confident that Steve is the right leader at the right time, and he has demonstrated a deep commitment to achieving success,” Luis Leon, president of operations for Prime Healthcare Division II, said in a release. “His capabilities and experience, combined with our current leadership, will help us grow to better serve the communities in our Kansas and Missouri region today and well into the future.”

Wilkinson retired from Menorah in 2014, after leading the HCA Midwest-owned hospital in Overland Park for more than 17 years. His tenure there included doubling the hospital's admissions and directing a $45 million expansion, with space to house its Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute. He also was chairman of the Kansas Hospital Association and of the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce. In total, he has more than 30 years of experience as a hospital executive.

But Wilkinson's career hasn't been all big-city hospitals. He started off as a banker, following in his father's footsteps, before landing an executive role with the Garden City Chamber of Commerce. From there, Wilkinson served as a board member for St. Catherine Hospital in

Garden City and did a good enough job that he was picked as the successor to the hospital's retiring CEO. He led the hospital for 10 years before moving to Kansas City.

In his new role, Wilkinson will lead strategy and operations for Providence Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan., Saint John Hospital in Leavenworth, St. Joseph Medical Center in Kansas City and St. Mary’s Medical Center in Blue Springs. He also will manage Prime Healthcare's 31 physician practices and clinics in the metro.

Administrators still will continue to oversee day-to-day operations at each hospital, with Karen Orr leading Providence Medical Center, Jodi Fincher leading St. Joseph Medical Center, Paula Ellis leading Saint John Hospital and Deb Ohnoutka serving as CEO of St. Mary's Medical Center.

Wilkinson will fill a position created during previous CEO Randall Nyp's tenure, to tie together the for-profit health system's four area hospitals. Nyp announced his retirement in July 2017, after working in health care for 45 years.

Prime Healthcare is relatively new to the market; it bought St. Joseph and St. Mary's from Ascension Health in 2015, and Providence and Saint John from the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System in 2013.

Erica Mary