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Maui Hospital Update

Maui Memorial Medical Center
Maui Memorial Medical Center

It's been just over a month since Kaiser Permanente took over operations at three Maui County hospitals. But the new chief executive officer of the hospitals is already moving on. We get more from Colleen Uechi of The Maui News.

 

On July 1, Ray Hahn was named hospital administrator and CEO of Maui Health System. That's the Kaiser affiliate that now operates Maui Memorial Medical Center, Kula Hospital and Lanai Community Hospital.

But now Hahn is moving on. He's been promoted to a new senior position within the Kaiser system. California hospital official Michael Rembis will replace him next Monday.

Hahn has been working on the hospital transition for the past year. He called the transition a success. For nearly a decade, the three state-run hospitals sought a private partner to help cut costs and improve care. The state chose Kaiser in 2015. After several legal setbacks, Kaiser took over on July 1.  

The new Maui Health System has big plans. Those include more medical services, more staff and upgrades to technology and facilities. Maui Memorial wants to expand its stroke, cardiovascular, orthopedics and trauma programs. 

But, the three hospitals still need about 280 more workers. Chief nursing executive Gary Kienbaum said the goal is to hire all local employees. Traveling staff currently fill the vacancies.

For now, Hahn said the hospitals are focused on improving buildings and equipment. That's expected to cost about $300 million. Workers also want more parking and a Starbucks. 

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