Kirk Jenkins was placed as the senior vice president of the physician network at Lexington Medical Center in West Columbia, South Carolina. The 428-bed Lexington Medical Center anchors a vast, countywide network of more than 600 physicians, 1,600 nurses, 60 medical practices, six community-based medical and urgent care centers, an occupational health center, the largest skilled nursing facility in the Carolinas, and an Alzheimer’s care center. It is one of the fastest growing, most successful hospitals in the Southeast, and its physician network is a robust network of 55 physician practices in 74 locations, with 300 providers, 74 mid-levels, and more than 1,300 support staff. In this position, Kirk is accountable for the overall success of operations for LMC physician practices, workforce health, community medical centers, and physician network support programs, focusing on systems, program development, quality, fiscal management, compliance and clinical management measures, physician relationships, and community outreach. He is also responsible for oversight of the physician network support service programs, which include clinical research, credentialing, education and training, population health and quality, and the physician network staffing resource pool.
Kirk brings to the position significant population health experience and an operational focus on connectivity and standardization, construction planning, physician recruitment, and technology implementation. He is Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certified.
Kirk previously served as the assistant vice president of the physician network at Lexington, and in the SVP role on an interim basis before being selected for the permanent position. During his three-year tenure at Lexington, Kirk has developed communication and decision-making structures that emphasize physician engagement, streamlined response times, and empowerment at the practice level. He has collaborated across the health system to ensure effective support to physicians and physician practices, the efficient use of resources, and a high quality patient experience. Kirk has successfully led the development and negotiation of new contract models for hospitalists, cardiovascular anesthesiology, and multiple OB/GYN groups, and has developed and implemented a central billing office for hospital-based physician practices. He also served as the physician network lead for the organization’s Denials Management Initiative.
Before joining Lexington Medical Center, Kirk spent eight years in healthcare administration in the U.S. Air Force, serving as a chief financial officer and director of manpower for a large outpatient multi-specialty clinic; as an executive officer for strategic medical plans, programs, and budget; as the deputy chief for Department of Defense-Veterans Affairs joint venture programs; and as a medical group director. Kirk began his career as a senior business process analyst with BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina.
Kirk is originally from South Carolina, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from The Citadel and his MBA from Clemson University. He and his wife are the parents of three young children. Outside of work, Kirk enjoys running, golf, and spending quality time with his family.
QLK’s Sharman McGurn led the search to recruit Kirk to the permanent senior vice president position at Lexington Medical Center, in which he has served since June 6, 2016.
