Copyright Charleston Post and Courier
WEST COLUMBIA — Born in the same hospital he will now lead, incoming CEO Kirk Jenkins says he plans to continue Lexington Medical’s expansion to meet population and economic growth when he takes over next year. The plan is to meet the needs of local residents through new primary care offices, while addressing nursing shortages, managing inflation pressures and adopting AI technology. Jenkins told The Post and Courier the health system has long focused on expanding local clinics that provide everyday care and refer patients to specialists when necessary. Set to become CEO in 2026, he already oversees Lexington Health’s “physician network,” which includes the system’s primary care and specialty practices. “As we look ahead that’s going to continue to be our focus as we’re always evaluating where we’re seeing community growth, making sure we have great access to primary care, giving our community members an opportunity to establish that relationship with a primary care provider,” said Jenkins. He added that the hospital aims to pair that with robust specialty programs such as cancer, heart and orthopedic care. “We want to provide as much comprehensive care as we can,” he said. What’s behind the new name? To reflect its growth into a full regional network, the system rebranded over the summer from Lexington Medical Center to Lexington Health. Founded in 1971 as a 125-bed hospital with 250 employees, Lexington Health has grown into a 607-bed system with six community medical and urgent care centers, nearly 80 physician practices, more than 9,000 health care professionals, an occupational health center and a skilled nursing facility. In 2024, as part of efforts to expand both primary and specialty care, Lexington Health opened a two-story facility in Forest Acres that includes Lexington Family Practice, a primary care clinic, and South Carolina OB/GYN Associates, a specialty practice. Last month, the network added a second building next door for both primary and specialty care, home to The Columbia Medical Group and Lexington Health’s Heart and Vascular Center. Jenkins said the new facilities respond to rising demand for care in Forest Acres, a city of about 10,000. Officials there project an 8 percent rise in retail spending from 2022 to 2027 and have moved to rezone the former Richland Mall site for new shops and apartments. Then there’s Blythewood, a town of about 7,000 that has nearly tripled in population since 2010 and ranked sixth in South Carolina for growth in 2023-24. It is also where Scout Motors is building a $2 billion, 1,100-acre plant expected to employ 4,000 workers and build up to 200,000 vehicles a year when production starts in late 2027. There, Lexington Health is developing an $11.5 million medical office that will open this winter, housing family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology and physical therapy practices. Nursing shortages and inflation Federal data show South Carolina is also on track for one of the nation’s largest nursing shortages. A 2024 federal study by the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis projects South Carolina will face one of the nation’s largest nursing shortages by 2037, with an estimated 19 percent shortfall in registered nurses. In response to the shortage, Lexington Health last year opened a training facility with the University of South Carolina. The 52,000-square-foot facility includes a nursing simulation lab and classrooms for USC students and is intended to help build the state’s nursing workforce. “We’re very proud and have enjoyed working with the University of South Carolina and expanding that relationship in recent years,” Jenkins said. Additionally, Jenkins said the hospital is facing inflation-related cost pressures in areas including supplies, equipment and pharmaceuticals. A June 2025 report by the Medical Group Management Association found operating expenses at medical practices rose about 11 percent from the previous year, citing higher staffing, supply and technology costs. “Healthcare systems across the country are facing cost pressures in most major categories,” Lexington Health spokesperson Catherine Ramirez said when asked for specifics about inflation’s impacts on the local hospital system. For Lexington Health, rapid technological change is another challenge the system is adapting to, including artificial intelligence. The hospital is testing AI that helps record visits and prepare summaries for doctors. “It allows the provider, the physician, to focus on their patient and not necessarily have to focus on typing something on the computer when they’re having that conversation,” Jenkins said. Jenkins joined Lexington Health in 2013 and, after taking leadership of its physician network two years later, helped grow the number of advanced practice providers and employed physicians from 387 to 718. He said his leadership approach centers on service, teamwork and stewardship. “This is, in my view, the ultimate team sport. So we’ll continue to emphasize teamwork,” Jenkins said. “And then we all recognize the services that we provide here to our community are so vital, and we need to make sure we can continue to provide those services at a very high level for many, many years to come.”
