HCA Midwest Health named a new chief medical officer Tuesday after its previous head of medicine decided to take a more hands-on hospital role.
Dr. Kimberly Megow joined HCA Midwest after serving as CMO of Corpus Christi Medical Center in Texas, a 631-bed health system that is part of the Hospital Corp. of America (NYSE: HCA), the parent company of HCA Midwest.
Dr. Darryl Nelson was HCA Midwest's chief medical officer from 2011 until this month.
She will take over for Dr. Darryl Nelson, who moved from CMO of the HCA Midwest system to CMO of Centerpoint Medical Center in Independence, to work more closely with physicians and patients. Nelson became the system's first CMO in 2011.
"Dr. Megow comes to us at a key moment of transformative growth in our health care system," HCA Midwest Health President Mel Lagarde said in a release. "Her robust clinical strategy experience, business acumen, philosophy of innovation and innate focus on doing the right thing will enhance the overall direction and coordination of medical affairs."
Megow began her career as a pediatrician in 1991, starting her own practice two years later in Valdosta, Ga. She maintained her business for 17 years, growing it to more than 5,000 patients, before joining South Georgia Medical Center. She served in an number of roles there, including chief of staff, chief medical information officer and CMO.
At Corpus Christi, she started an initiative to detect sepsis, a life-threatening infection, and improve sepsis outcomes.
"I look forward to joining HCA Midwest Health, which is comprised of exceptional professionals and defined by much success and a very bright future," she said in the release. "I will continue to build important relationships, moving our quality agenda forward at all levels."