Westwood ? Wichita surgeon George Farha announced Tuesday that he was stepping down after nearly a decade as chairman of the Kansas University Hospital Authority Board.

Retired Lawrence businessman Robert Honse took Farha’s place during the board’s regularly scheduled meeting.

Farha said he was proud of the hospital’s progression since his appointment in 1999, especially its cancer center and the raising of its patient satisfaction rate to around 96 percent.

“That’s just a fraction of the things that have happened over the past 10 years,” he said. “The credit goes to management first and to the board second.”

Honse said the public perception of the hospital had changed over the years since he joined the board in 2000. When he began his tenure, Honse said the majority of people regarded KU Hospital with a certain amount of disdain.

Eight years later, he said he wished many of those doubters could be in the boardroom to see the progress, specifically citing the affiliation agreement between KU Hospital and KU Medical Center and rising good will for the hospital.

“Certainly a big part of that was George’s leadership,” Honse said.

Executive Vice Chancellor Barbara Atkinson said she felt Farha’s contribution to the medical community expanded past Kansas City and onto the Wichita campus as well.

Chancellor Robert Hemenway, who acts as vice chairman of the authority board, offered similar praise of Farha.

“I was here in the beginning,” Hemenway said. “It’s been a tremendous learning experience. His success speaks for itself.”

After the meeting, Honse said the biggest issue facing the board would be making sure KUMC and the hospital would actually work together now that an agreement was in place.

Farha will remain on the board as a voting member.