Kester Freeman

Kester Freeman is retired CEO of Palmetto Health, the largest integrated healthcare delivery system in South Carolina. Palmetto Health includes a regional teaching hospital and tertiary center as well as two acute care hospitals. The system also manages two rural hospitals and various other entities.

In 2004, Freeman spearheaded the creation of Health Sciences South Carolina, a healthcare research collaborative to improve the health and economic wellbeing of the state’s residents through a coordinated effort to advance health sciences research and education. The collaborative includes the Greenville Hospital System, the Medical University of South Carolina, Palmetto Health, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, the University of South Carolina and Clemson University.

Freeman remains actively involved in healthcare as a consultant, serving as member of the American Hospital Assocation’s Mental Health Task Force and as founding chairman of the South Carolina Hospital Association’s Universal Coverage Work Group.

This information appears at the Action for Better Healthcare blog.

Urge Congress to help fix the drug shortage problem
By Kester Freeman | 09:58 am | March 02, 2012
I am always pleased when I see healthcare leaders speaking up about needed changes.
The road to quality in healthcare
By Kester Freeman | 10:09 am | February 14, 2012
UnitedHealth recently announced it will become the latest insurer to overhaul the way it pays medical providers.
Hospital reduces costs with a simple, strategic change
By Kester Freeman | 09:42 am | January 26, 2012
Never underestimate the impact one change can have in a given healthcare setting. Take, for example, a change implemented at Maury Regional Medical Center.
The reality of hospital drug shortages
By Kester Freeman | 10:12 am | December 19, 2011
To understand just how problematic the current hospital drug shortage is, all you need to do is take a look at how it is impacting patients.
Testing healthcare changes ahead of time, smart move
By Kester Freeman | 09:57 am | December 14, 2011
To understand the value of Medicare demonstration projects you should take a look at a recent article from American Medical News.
Making drug price gouging a federal crime
By Kester Freeman | 09:57 am | December 07, 2011
Thanks to groups like the Premier healthcare alliance, federal officials have been kept informed of one of the worst drug shortages impacting U.S. hospitals in recent history.
Improving the way hospitals and doctors are paid
By Kester Freeman | 09:53 am | November 17, 2011
What strikes me about the current moment in healthcare is that the new accountable care regulations attempt to make the concept of shared savings more attractive to hospitals and physicians.
Healthcare executives respond to final ACO rule
By Kester Freeman | 09:13 am | November 01, 2011
After much anticipation, the Department of Health and Human Services issued its final rule on Medicare accountable care organizations. Many of the initial proposed requirements have been relaxed quite a bit or waived altogether.
Hospitals help raise money and awareness for breast cancer
By Kester Freeman | 09:19 am | October 07, 2011
October is breast cancer awareness month and it is inspiring to see the good that can come when a few respected companies join forces to raise money for breast cancer research.
The new face of healthcare and why patients should care
By Kester Freeman | 10:00 am | September 15, 2011
We have a unique opportunity in this country to reduce healthcare costs and improve care at the same time.