HCA Midwest Health names Kirk McCarty, RN, CEO of Research Medical Center

Kansas City, MO — Research Medical Center – a tertiary referral center and part of HCA Midwest Health, itself the Kansas City region's largest healthcare provider – has named Kirk McCarty, RN, its chief executive officer, effective Sept. 8.

"Following the retirement of Research Medical Center CEO Dr. Paul Hancock, who did remarkable work improving quality scores and elevating the hospital's culture, it is thrilling to announce Kirk McCarty's homecoming," said HCA Midwest Health President Keith Zimmerman. "Kirk worked at Research Medical Center for 12 years in various leadership roles and, most recently, as CEO of Menorah Medical Center, where he laid a solid foundation to continue moving forward the hospital's positive impact on the communities it serves."

A national search for the new CEO of Menorah Medical Center is underway.

McCarty began his HCA Healthcare career at Research Medical Center, spending 12 years in nursing, operational and service line leadership roles, including vice president of operations, associate chief nursing officer and HCA Midwest Health's service line vice president of neuroscience. During this time, he also earned his Master of Nursing from the Research College of Nursing.

That experience at Research helped propel him to leadership roles in HCA Healthcare's Continental Division, where he served as the chief operating officer and later the CEO of Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree, Colorado. Thanks to McCarty's leadership, Sky Ridge earned numerous quality awards – including being named among Healthgrades' Top 100 Hospitals nationwide. He returned to Kansas City in late spring after being appointed CEO of Menorah Medical Center.

"One of my life's greatest joys has been returning to Kansas City to rejoin HCA Midwest Health," McCarty said. "My time at Menorah Medical Center allowed me to work with its exceptional team to strengthen the hospital's partnerships with local providers and communities it serves, positioning it for the next growth phase. Transitioning to CEO at Research Medical Center, where I know its extraordinary staff, will allow me to continue to build on the positive momentum, growth and innovation of HCA Midwest Health's largest hospital. I am humbled and grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

McCarty not only excels in developing and nurturing high-functioning people and teams who lead change and innovation, but he has a proven track record of increasing colleague and physician engagement and expertise, helping drive results in quality, patient care and safety, growth and financial performance

Before his education at RCoN, Kirk earned his bachelor's in nursing from Truman State University. He is also a graduate of HCA Healthcare's Chief Nursing Development Program.

Research Medical Center is a regional destination for specialized, complex healthcare. Key services provided include emergency care with an ACS-verified Level 1 trauma center, orthopedics, comprehensive stroke center, burn center, cardiovascular center, neuroscience institute, oncology, a blood cancer center offering transplant and cellular therapy, kidney and pancreas transplant institute and women's services – including obstetrics, gynecology and a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Research's campuses include the main campus on Meyer Boulevard, the ER of Brookside and Research Psychiatric Center. The Research College of Nursing is also affiliated with Research Medical Center, allowing nursing students to gain a unique pairing of educational excellence and strength of the region's leading healthcare network.