Kearney Regional Medical Center Promotes COO Danny Van Ranken to CEO
Danny Van Ranken has been named the new chief executive officer of Kearney Regional Medical Center, a facility within the Bryan Health system, according to multiple news reports. The appointment was effective September 6, 2026.
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The promotion is an internal one for Van Ranken, who has been with the medical center since 2014 and most recently served as its chief operating officer, a role he assumed in 2024. He succeeds Doug Koch, who departed the CEO position in February 2026. Scott Smith, one of the hospital's founding physicians and its Chief Medical Officer, served as interim CEO following Koch's departure, according to reports from Kearney Hub and Becker's Hospital Review.
Van Ranken’s career at Kearney Regional Medical Center (KRMC) began in 2014 when he was hired as the hospital's first respiratory therapy manager, Kearney Hub reported. He was promoted to director of procedural services and corporate compliance officer in 2019, and then to vice president of clinical and support services in 2022.
During his tenure at KRMC, Van Ranken has overseen more than $80 million in expansion projects for the clinic and hospital over the past five years, news reports state. These projects included the expansion of Kearney Regional Medical Center, the construction of the Kearney Cancer Center, and the development of the Oak Park campus.
**Why it matters:** Kearney Regional Medical Center is an acute care hospital with 118 staffed beds owned and operated by Bryan Health, according to a Becker’s Hospital Review report. Clinical Terminal data shows the facility as a 93-bed Short Term Acute Care Hospital. The appointment of Van Ranken from the COO role follows a seven-month interim period after the previous CEO's departure in February 2026. The interim CEO, Scott Smith, is also the hospital's Chief Medical Officer and one of its founding physicians, according to Bryan Health.
- The appointment of Van Ranken from the COO role follows a seven-month interim period after the previous CEO's departure in February 2026.