Kansas City University and HCA Midwest Health forge key academic partnership

Kansas City University (KCU), the largest medical school in Missouri and the sixth largest medical school in the nation, and HCA Midwest Health, Kansas City’s premier healthcare provider, recently announced a principle affiliation that will strengthen the training of tomorrow’s physicians, today.

This newly enhanced six-year partnership expands the number of clerkships throughout HCA Midwest Health’s hospitals – including Research Medical Center, Overland Park Regional Medical Center, Centerpoint Medical Center, Menorah Medical Center, Lee's Summit Medical Center, Belton Regional Medical Center and Lafayette Regional Health Center – for KCU’s third- and fourth-year medical students. Clerkships are a unique and immersive clinical learning experience, where students train under the direct supervision of an experienced attending physician. Additionally, KCU medical students have the opportunity to work alongside current Graduate Medical Education residency specialists, further expanding the learning experience within specialty practices throughout the health system.

“HCA Midwest Health has a rich history of providing medical training and education,” said Josh Cox, DO, executive dean of KCU College of Osteopathic Medicine and vice provost for Medical Affairs. “For our medical students to train alongside HCA Midwest Health’s highly-skilled physicians is invaluable to their growth and development as future physicians. This partnership

will enhance the educational experience for KCU students and prepare them well for their careers in medicine, while also providing a pipeline of physicians who choose the Kansas City area to practice.”

"Education is at the heart of advancing healthcare," said HCA Midwest Health President Keith Zimmerman. "Collaborating with a highly respected institution like Kansas City University enables us to combine our resources and expertise to develop a new generation of highly trained, compassionate and skilled physicians. This alignment further solidifies our commitment to improving high-quality patient care through education and innovation and to do this with KCU, a nationally renowned medical school.”

In addition to the increase in clerkships, the new agreement also provides HCA Midwest Health access to the state-of-the-art academic, research and classroom resources of KCU. These include an advanced medical simulation center, medical library, academic center and research laboratories. Many HCA Midwest Health physicians will receive academic faculty appointments with the university as well.

“This formalizes and expands the strong educational relationship we have shared with HCA Midwest Health for many years,” said Marc B. Hahn, DO, president and chief executive officer of KCU. “HCA Healthcare is our nation’s leading hospital system and has become the largest sponsor of Graduate Medical Education programs in the country. KCU welcomes this opportunity for our medical students, and we look forward to the continued collaboration and clinical engagement that will benefit the communities we serve.”

KCU is a leading health sciences university which includes a proud legacy as Kansas City Missouri’s first medical school. Nearly 1,000 KCU physician alumni practice in the Kansas City region; more than 10,000 alumni practice around the country and in every state. Additionally, 50 percent of KCU alumni practice in a primary care specialty and 30 percent practice in underserved areas. Collectively, KCU alumni generate an estimated $12 billion in healthcare cost savings in primary care nationwide.

HCA Healthcare is a leader in clinical and medical education, and its affiliates – including HCA Midwest Health – currently include 66 teaching hospitals. The health system is the nation’s largest sponsor of GME programs, with more than 5,300 residents and fellows with more than 300 programs in 15 states and a growing commitment to medical education. In addition, HCA Healthcare is committed to nursing education building the pipeline of future nurses through its affiliates, Research College of Nursing and Galen College of Nursing.