Bret Kolman
Chief Executive Officer
Bret Kolman, has served as CEO of Centerpoint Medical Center since 2018. Providing executive leadership for over 2,000 staff members for a 285-bed hospital, which includes a Level II Trauma Center.
After working as an auditor for a Big Five accounting firm in Kansas City, Missouri, Bret started his healthcare career in 1992 as a financial analyst for HCA Midwest Health (then Health Midwest). Following that position, he was promoted to Chief Financial Officer at Lafayette Regional Health Center in Lexington, Missouri, a position he held from 1995 – 2008. In 2003, he was also appointed Chief Executive Officer at Lafayette Regional Health Center where his many accomplishments over a 10-year period included ranking in the top five percent in HCA inpatient satisfaction surveys in 2010 and 2011; ranking in top 10 percent in HCA’s physician satisfaction scores.
In 2013, Bret was tapped as Chief Executive Officer of HCA’s Lakeview Regional Medical Center in Covington, Louisiana, which converted to a campus of Tulane Medical Center in May 2017. Accomplishments during his five years as CEO include obtaining Level III trauma designation, becoming only the sixth hospital in the state to become trauma-accredited; ranking in HCA’s top 10 percent by physicians for: Places to Practice, Administration, Nursing Care, Patient Safety and Quality of care, among other metrics; driving employee engagement, resulting in 14 consecutive years in the top 10 percentiles. Additional hallmarks include Lakeview Regional Medical Center being nominated and selected as a 2018 Top Places to work and merged with the renowned Tulane Academic Medical Center to drive practice opportunities, community benefit and reimbursement. Bret earned a Bachelors in Finance and Accounting from Kansas State University and a Masters in Healthcare Administration from the University of Minnesota.
Dr. Darryl Nelson
Chief Medical Officer
Darryl K. Nelson, MD, is a board-certified family medicine physician who has taken care of Lee’s Summit families for more than 20 years. A smalltown physician with an old-fashioned bedside manner and a drive to advance the quality of medical care. Dr. Nelson was named Centerpoint’s Chief Medical Officer in 2018. Previously he served as the Chief Medical Officer for HCA Midwest Health. Dr. Nelson has been instrumental in leading HCA Midwest Health System’s ambulatory electronic medical record (EMR) development and launch in Kansas City and has served as the national senior medical director for the ambulatory EMR initiative for HCA.
Dr. Nelson received his medical degree from the University Of Missouri Kansas City School Of Medicine and is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Missouri Academy of Family Physicians and the Kansas City Academy of Family Physicians.
Dan Astleford
Chief Operating Officer
Dan Astleford is the Chief Operating Officer for Centerpoint Medical Center. In this role, he provides executive oversight of hospital ancillary and support functions, service line development, ethics and compliance, and campus construction. Some of Dan’s accomplishments include expanding cardiovascular, neurosurgical and oncologic service lines, increasing employee and physician engagement and enhancing patient care and satisfaction. Dan became COO of Centerpoint Medical Center in 2019. Dan holds a B.B.A in Health Services Administration from the University of South Dakota and both a Master of Business Administration and Masters of Health Administration from the University of Iowa.
Ronnie Thompson
Chief Financial Officer
Ronnie has served as CFO of Centerpoint Medical Center since 2022. Previously, he served as CFO of Belton Medical Center. Ronnie also served as Centerpoint’s Controller from 2012 to 2015.
Ronnie is an experienced financial and business leader with nearly 25 years in the healthcare industry – the majority of those at facilities within HCA Midwest Health. In his role as CFO, he oversees all financial management aspects for Centerpoint Medical Center, including accounting, materials management, staffing, case management, and information technology initiatives relating to patient access and medical records. Ronnie earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from DeVry University in Kansas City.
Suzanne Ford
Chief Nursing Officer
Suzanne Ford, Chief Nursing Officer, RN, MSN joined Centerpoint Medical Center in 2022. As Centerpoint’s Chief Nursing Officer, Suzanne provides executive nursing leadership to over 600 nurses. From 2018 to 2022, Suzanne has served as HCA Midwest Health Division Vice President of Nursing Operations where she created and implemented a 1st Year Nursing Graduate program, introduced LPN and Patient Safety Attendant (PSA) alternative care models, and successfully led nursing operations during the pandemic, among other accomplishments. Suzanne holds a B.A. in Biology form the University of San Diego, A B.S.N from Galen College of Nursing, and a Masters in Health Administration from Webster University.