Bob Page has spent 26 years in executive leadership roles within The University of Kansas Hospital/Health System, a nationally recognized comprehensive academic medical center located in America’s heartland. In July 2007, he was selected by The University of Kansas Hospital Authority Board to be president and CEO, a role which has grown as the organization became clinically integrated and expanded its commitment to patient care across the state.

The organization Page joined in 1996 was at risk of closure due to poor performance and financial insecurity. Throughout his tenure, he has relied on a simple formula, consistently grounded in a culture focused on the patient and the staff. That strategy and the foundation it established have resulted in quality recognized at a national level by both Vizient and U.S News, high levels of staff engagement, top decile patient satisfaction, the completion of a five-year process to clinically integrate the medical staff and the health system, historic levels of capital investment, and significant growth.

Page has also worked to stabilize the healthcare environment across Kansas, a state with a widely dispersed population, the largest number of at-risk critical access hospitals, and disaggregated resources to support optimal patient care and outcomes. Under his leadership, the Health System committed itself to improving the health of Kansas through innovative collaborations with 78 healthcare organizations across the state, resulting in improvement in the use of evidence-based practice and patient outcomes. The importance of the collaborative has again been demonstrated in its support of many small, rural hospitals during the pandemic.