“I doubt if there is any other hospital in the country which can match the turnaround the Kansas University Hospital has achieved in the past 15 to 20 years. It’s amazing, and its regional and national reputation gets better year after year.”

This was the opinion of a senior KU Hospital doctor following last week’s KU Hospital Hall of Fame dinner and awards celebration.

It is, indeed, a tremendous success story. Twenty years ago, the hospital was in bad shape, and those in charge had three options: close the facility, sell the facility or shift gears, get to work and build the hospital into one known for its excellence and vision.

The hospital had been freed from the state’s control and had become a private, stand-alone operation. A woman by the name of Irene Cumming had become president and chief executive officer and, in many ways, she made it clear life at the hospital was going to be different. There were not going to be any excuses for why something wasn’t done the way it was supposed to be done — from the most senior physicians, nurses and maintenance staff to the newest hire in janitorial services. It was a new day, a new operation with new enthusiasm and pride among the entire staff.

Bob Honse was among those honored at the Hall of Fame gathering. He became a member of the KU Hospital Authority board of directors in 2000 and what he, Cumming and current hospital president and CEO Bob Page have accomplished with the hard work and commitment of the entire hospital staff is truly amazing. But, as Page said at the dinner, the hospital’s mission, goal and challenge is to become better, smarter and more innovative. “We do this,” he said, “not to grow bigger but to grow to become our best.”

The Honse-Page team is proud and pleased with past accomplishments but their continuing goal is to be the best hospital in the nation. Page told his audience, “With your ongoing support, the University of Kansas Hospital will continue to thrive.”

Honse’s 15 years as a board member and chairman was the highlight of the awards celebration, and Page could not have been more complimentary about Honse’s contribution and role in the growth and development of the hospital.

Honse, who lives in Lawrence, joined the hospital authority board after serving as CEO of Farmland Industries, which, at that time, was the largest integrated farm products service operation in the country. One of their plants was on the east edge of Lawrence at the site that now has been developed as Lawrence VenturePark.

He is a native of Pennsylvania, and earned a chemical engineering degree at the University of Virginia. He has been a tireless worker, often behind the scenes, as well as out front, on behalf of the hospital.

He has a friendly manner, but he can be a hard driver when he believes there are ways to improve the hospital or when someone is not measuring up. He chooses his words carefully, but he has the courage to speak out strongly on issues he thinks handicap the hospital.

The hospital business is tough and is likely to become even more challenging in the years ahead. Obamacare has changed the landscape, and health care is going to consume larger and larger percentages of an average family’s household income. Some projections suggest the average cost of a family health insurance premium will equal 50 percent of the median household income by 2021 and, when combined with out-of-pocket health care costs, even exceed median income by 2030.

KU Hospital enjoys a lofty national reputation, but it cannot be complacent or rest on its past accomplishments. The Honse-Page team has compiled a tremendous record over the past 17 years, and it is good Honse will remain on the board. No one is indispensable, but Honse has been an ideal leader at a critical time.

Thanks to Bob Honse for his service and commitment. The hospital and its patients, as well as Kansas and the greater Kansas City area, all have benefitted from Honse’s leadership.