UK HealthCare’s Dr. Michael Karpf Announces Decision to Retire in 2017

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 14, 2016) – University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto and UK Executive Vice President for Health Affairs (EVPHA) Dr. Michael Karpf today announced Karpf’s decision to retire in 2017 following the hiring and appropriate transition period for his replacement.

“My original mandate when recruited to this position by then UK President Lee Todd was to revitalize the clinical enterprise at UK incorporating both the hospital system and the College of Medicine,” Karpf said. “Since my arrival in 2003, we have made considerable progress, and I feel that the original goals we established have been achieved and we have built a strong foundation for UK HealthCare.”

Under Karpf’s leadership, in the past 13 years, UK has invested close to $2 billion for faculty recruitment, program development, technology acquisition as well as facilities, while also fostering partnerships with leading regional health providers across the state to extend care to those who need it most.

As a result, hospital discharges in the last decade have nearly doubled from under 20,000 annually to nearly 40,000. At the same time, health research into the problems most impacting Kentucky has grown considerably, capped off two years ago by legislative approval to build a new $265 million health research facility focused specifically on the most daunting health challenges confronting the state

Against that backdrop, a national search for a new EVPHA will be conducted with the goal of completing the search and allowing for an appropriate transition. Karpf, 71, will remain fully in charge of UK HealthCare until that time, Capilouto said.

“I am convinced that UK HealthCare is the greatest success story in modern academic health center history,” Capilouto said. “This is not grandiosity. The numbers show it. The faces and stories behind those numbers paint an undeniable picture of progress, compassion and care.

“Through sheer determination and a brilliance to see far ahead into the future, and, more so, to prepare for it, Mike Karpf has authored a remarkable chapter in the history of UK HealthCare, the University of Kentucky, and the Commonwealth.” 

Karpf plans to transition to a part-time faculty position working on health service and health policy issues and plans to stay involved in the art, music and humanities program that makes UK HealthCare a very special place for all, he said. “These past 13 years have been challenging but immensely rewarding to me personally. I respect the colleagues with whom I have worked, especially the faculty and staff in UK HealthCare and cherish the wonderful friends Ellen and I have made here in Lexington.”

Since being recruited to UK in 2003 from UCLA, Karpf has developed advanced sub-specialty care programs comparable to those available at the nation’s very best referral, research-intensive academic medical centers. This has been achieved in great part through the recruitment of outstanding physicians and aggressively built nationally competitive tertiary and quaternary programs which have grown dramatically both in volume and quality.

“Dr. Michael Karpf has, without question, changed the face of health care in Kentucky for the better,” said Dr. Britt Brockman, chair, UK Board of Trustees. “Because of his compassion and unrelenting work ethic, we have made remarkable strides in the last 13 years at UK HealthCare toward transforming that dream into a reality. Now, with Mike’s vision and continued commitment, we will over the next several months, plan how we continue to move forward in ensuring all Kentuckians have access to the best of care from an outstanding academic medical center that exists for the sole purpose of healing Kentuckians facing the gravest of challenges.” 

In addition to focusing on advanced subspecialty care on campus, Karpf has also strived to develop strong relationships with community providers by expanding and improving the services they can offer. The culmination of these efforts has been the launching of the Kentucky Health Collaborative, 10 major systems in Kentucky comprising more than 50 hospitals working together to deliver value-based care – producing the best outcomes at the highest level of efficiency.

As a result of these endeavors, UK HealthCare’s outpatient activity has grown dramatically, now exceeding 1.5 million outpatient visits per year. In addition, in 2016, UK has received more than 18,000 patient transfers from other providers compared to 1,000 patient transfers in 2003.

To accommodate this unprecedented growth, Karpf led the charge to develop a replacement hospital, known as the 12-story UK Chandler Hospital Pavilion A, which is not only “as technologically advanced as any hospital in the country, it is also an exceptionally empathetic facility – comfortable and comforting for our patients, their families, visitors, and, just as important, for our faculty and staff,” Karpf said.

As of June 2016, 96 percent of the 1.2 million-square foot Pavilion A is occupied or has received approval for finishing out.

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UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, visit uky.edu/uk4ky. #uk4ky #seeblue

Quotes about Dr. Karpf’s Retirement

– Dr. Britt Brockman, chair, UK Board of Trustees

“Dr. Michael Karpf has, without question, changed the face of health care in Kentucky for the better. His dream has been to ensure that no Kentuckian, no matter where they live or who they are, should have to worry about leaving the Commonwealth to receive the best of advanced care. Because of his compassion and unrelenting work ethic, we have made remarkable strides in the last 15 years at UK HealthCare toward transforming that dream into a reality. Now, with Mike’s vision and continued commitment, we will over the next several months, plan how we continue to move forward in ensuring all Kentuckians have access to the best of care from an outstanding academic medical center that exists for the sole purpose of healing Kentuckians facing the gravest of challenges.”

– Robert Vance, Chair, UK Health Care Committee, UK Board of Trustees

“The name Michael Karpf is synonymous with the concept of leadership and transformation. Under his leadership, and with his vision, an academic medical center that was struggling more than a decade ago has grown and been transformed into one of the country’s outstanding hospital systems. He has changed health care in Kentucky. Most importantly, his work – alongside talented doctors and medical professionals – is saving lives and forging a brighter path for the future in terms of addressing our state’s most daunting health care challenges. UK and Kentucky are better for his leadership, his commitment and his incredible vision.” 

-- Former UK President Lee T. Todd Jr.

“While I had high expectations for UK HealthCare when we hired Michael Karpf, he has significantly exceeded those expectations. A new hospital was definitely needed but there were no thoughts that we could invest nearly $2 billion in facilities and other much-needed infrastructure through the years or generate more than $1.3 billion in revenue last year alone. The high quality of the physician and staff recruits, the focus on obtaining NCI designation, the building of relationships with hospitals throughout Kentucky and the surrounding region, and his personal commitment to patients are all indicators of his professional leadership and his personal desire to make health care better for all Kentuckians. I admire him for not only the many things that he achieved but, as importantly, for how he achieved them.” 

-- Barbara Young, UK Board of Trustees and former chair of the UK Health Care Committee

“For more than a decade I have had the honor of working alongside Dr. Michael Karpf.  Thanks to his far reaching vision and steadfast commitment to excellence, UK HealthCare has become one of the most respected academic medical centers in the country.  Today, UK HealthCare is providing care to people in need, in our state and beyond, who in the past have had few options. Whether he is visiting with patients and families, or creating partnerships to extend the healing touch of UK HealthCare, his focus has always been on how best to make the lives of others better. That is his legacy.”

-- Cathy Jacobs, Philanthropist, Lexington

"His outstanding leadership of — and his passion for — the University, along with his compassion for the people it serves, will be felt and appreciated for many years to come."  

-- Myra Leigh Tobin, UK Board of Trustees 2002-2008; UK HealthCare Community Member 2008-2015

“I was on UK's Board of Trustees and its Healthcare Committee when Dr. Karpf arrived in Lexington.  His leadership was evident from his first week and his passion for serving this community is still just as strong today. I am particularly proud of him for initiating the Arts and Music Healing Program at the hospital. This has been appreciated by patients, family, and the Lexington community. He set high standards of performance, excellence in execution of the delivery of health care services, and achieved outstanding results because he believed in partnerships.”

 -- U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky    

“Dr. Michael Karpf’s retirement will be a great loss for the University of Kentucky and for our Commonwealth. He’s made a transformational impact on UK thanks to his vision and leadership. He was instrumental in bringing competitive health research funding to UK, and in earning national recognition and additional funding for the university’s Markey Cancer Center. I’ve enjoyed working with him over the years on many projects to benefit the university and Kentucky. Elaine and I send him and his family our best wishes.”

-- U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, R-Lexington

“On behalf of the people of Central and Eastern Kentucky, I want to thank Dr. Michael Karpf for his outstanding contributions to the University of Kentucky, as well as his commitment to improving health care throughout his long career in medicine and research.  While his leadership will be missed, I congratulate him on his retirement and wish him and his wife Ellen the best.”

-- Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester

“Dr. Karpf has been the driving force in developing networks between UK HealthCare and community hospitals in the rural parts of Kentucky that have helped those hospitals remain economically sustainable. Those partnerships have also aided our communities and, most important, the thousands of patients that benefit from care closer to home - several of whom I know personally. On campus, his leadership in advancing biomedical research and the drive for National Cancer Institute designation for the Markey Cancer Center helped provide the General Assembly with the comfort that the new $265 million research building currently under construction would be a great success in attacking the health disparities of Kentuckians. He will be sorely missed.”

-- House Majority Floor Leader, Rocky Adkins, D-Sandy Hook

“In my time working with Dr. Karpf he has not only approached his job as a true professional but always managed to treat patients and their families with a very personal, human touch. Furthermore, the partnerships he formed with Morehead State University and St. Claire Regional Medical Center to help educate more healthcare professionals in and for eastern Kentucky will greatly improve quality care in our region for many years to come.”  

-- Bob Quick, President and CEO, Commerce Lexington

"Dr. Karpf's legacy will be felt for generations to come. He has been a transformational leader in health care, an excellent partner in economic development and totally committed to advancing the Commonwealth's health, wellness and prosperity (economic) efforts."

-- David Adkisson, President and CEO of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce

“Dr. Karpf has been a transformation leader for healthcare, for Lexington and for Kentucky. From building that massive hospital during a recession when people desperately needed jobs, getting the cancer center recognized nationally and working with the other hospitals across the state on Kentucky’s wellness issues, Dr. Karpf led on all those fronts and we’re all better off for it.”

-- Michael Rust, President and Chief Executive Officer, Kentucky Hospital Association

“Dr. Karpf has been an extremely valuable member of the Kentucky Hospital Association. He served on our Board of Trustees for four years and his knowledge and expertise has provided great leadership and insight as we face Kentucky’s many health care challenges. He will be greatly missed by the hospitals and the patients served in the Commonwealth.”

-- Stephen A. Williams, CEO, Norton Healthcare

"In my 44 years of health care administration in Kentucky, Mike Karpf is the most committed, hard working and effective health care leader I've known. He has advanced health care not only at UK but for the entire Commonwealth, and I continue to appreciate the opportunity to work with him as a respected colleague and as a great friend." 

-- Joe Grossman, Appalachian Regional Hospital President and CEO

"ARH appreciates the vision and leadership of Dr. Karpf and his passion for improving the availability of advanced healthcare services to the rural areas ARH serves in eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia. Dr. Karpf has always supported keeping patients in their home communities for care and close to their support network of family and their local physician, when possible. Under his guidance, ARH has partnered with UK HealthCare on a number of critical services such as cardiac, stroke and oncology. These partnerships offer our patients a seamless system of care between ARH and UK HealthCare, enabling them to receive care at their local ARH hospital while also having access to UK's broader range of specialists and services when necessary. We appreciate all Dr. Karpf has done for ARH and the great strides in health care UK has made under his direction."

-- Connie Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Med Center Health at Bowling Green

“Dr. Michael Karpf is a unique and talented person, a great friend and a valued colleague. Under his leadership, UK HealthCare and Med Center Health have developed innovative partnerships that will benefit patients in our region and throughout the Commonwealth for years to come. I congratulate Mike and look forward to our continued friendship.”

Key Accomplishments:

• Since 2004, hospital patient discharges have grown by 88 percent and outpatient visits have grown from almost 665,000 to 1.1 million in 2015.
• UK HealthCare has grown from a small academic medical center at the 25th percentile of volume to an Academic Medical Center above the 75th percentile.

• The need for a replacement hospital was key to being able to provide advanced subspecialty care. When UK HealthCare finishes the projects covered by the $150 million bond issuance the UK Board of Trustees approved in June 2016, Chandler Hospital Pavilion A will be more than 96 percent complete.

• Since 2003, UK has invested close to $2 billion for faculty recruitment, program development, technology acquisition, and bricks and mortar. All while remaining financially sound.

• In 2003, UK accommodated 1,000 transfers from other facilities; in 2016, UK received more than 18,000 transfers from other providers and because of capacity limits still had to turn away a substantial number of patients. UK HealthCare has become the critical linchpin of the health care system of Kentucky, taking care of patients other providers cannot effectively manage.

• UK HealthCare today is a thriving regional referral system with aspirations to become a medical destination and one of the nation’s very best health care providers. The culmination of these efforts at building relationships has been the launching of the Kentucky Health Collaborative, 10 major systems in Kentucky comprising more than 50 hospitals working together to deliver value-based care – producing the best outcomes at the highest level of efficiency.

• In 2013, UK HealthCare was recognized with a University HealthSystem Consortium Rising Star Award for Quality Leadership – rocketing from 56th place to a rank of 12th in 2013. This was the largest improvement in rankings in UHC history.

• In 2013, Markey Cancer Center received National Cancer Institute designation, the only cancer program in Kentucky to be so designated.

• Overall growth in jobs (combining hospital and college) has more than doubled since 2003.

Dr. Michael Karpf Biosketch

Michael Karpf, MD, has served as the executive vice president for health affairs at the University of Kentucky since October 2003 when he was recruited to Lexington, Kentucky, to integrate the university’s clinical services. He is responsible for all clinical operations across the university – known as UK HealthCare – and encompassing two hospitals, a variety of ambulatory practices, and clinical activities of the UK College of Medicine and five health profession colleges.

In his tenure at UK, Dr. Karpf has led UK HealthCare through two major strategic, financial and capital planning processes with a focus on strengthening local health care and improving the Commonwealth’s delivery system by partnering with community hospitals and physicians. Over the years, these relationships with other providers have matured to the point that in 2016 UK HealthCare joined nine other hospital systems in establishing the Kentucky Health Collaborative.

In the same timeframe, more than $1.8 billion has been invested in facilities, technology and programs to support the growth of advanced subspecialty programs. Hospital discharges have nearly doubled, and transfers from community hospitals to UK HealthCare are nearing 19,000 a year. Today, UK HealthCare ranks in the 75th percentile of academic medical centers (AMCs) for both patient volume and case complexity. Overall, improvements in the quality of care and patient safety led to UK HealthCare winning the UHC Rising Star Award in 2013 and becoming a national leader among AMCs in patient safety in 2015.

Michael Karpf received both his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. After an internship in medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital, he served as a research associate in the Laboratory of Immunology at the National Institutes of Health. He returned to the University of Pennsylvania to complete his medical residency, fellowship in hematology and oncology and a chief residency in internal medicine. In 1978, he went to the Miami Veteran Administration Hospital to start a Division of General Internal Medicine.

In 1979, he was recruited to the University of Pittsburgh to develop a Division of General Medicine. In 1985, he assumed the Falk Chair in General Medicine and became vice chair of medicine. At the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Karpf was instrumental in restructuring the educational programs for medical students and housestaff, as well as the clinical programs of the Department of Medicine. He established a large Division of General Internal Medicine which served as a model for other programs.

In 1994, Dr. Karpf went to Allegheny Health Systems as senior vice president for clinical affairs at both Allegheny General Hospital and the Allegheny Integrated Health Group. In 1995, he was recruited to UCLA as vice provost for hospital systems. There he integrated the UCLA Medical Center, the Santa Monica /UCLA Medical Center and the Neuropsychiatric Hospital into one corporate entity. He was instrumental in developing a primary care network and reorganized the practice management organization for the medical group.

Dr. Karpf’s academic interests have been in developing and evaluating innovative educational and clinical programs. He established the Primary Care Training Residency and the General Medicine Fellowships at the University of Pittsburgh. At UCLA and at the University of Kentucky he has been instrumental in establishing a Center for Patient Safety and Quality and the Ethics Center.