Kaiser Permanente names mid-Atlantic medical director

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Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, a major health care provider with a significant presence in Maryland, announced this week that it has tapped Dr. Ameya Kulkarni to be its new executive medical director.

Kulkarni, who succeeds the retiring Dr. Richard McCarthy, will lead the Washington, D.C.-based Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, one of the East Coast’s largest multispecialty medical groups, employing more than 1,800 physicians across more than 65 medical and surgical specialties and serving approximately 750,000 Kaiser Permanente members in Maryland, Virginia and D.C.

“For over a decade, Dr. Kulkarni has been a leader at Kaiser Permanente, earning a reputation for guiding teams to deliver extraordinary care that is easy and fast for patients to access,” Maria Ansari, president and CEO of Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, said in a statement. “Appointing him to be the next executive medical director reflects our commitment to shaping the future of health care, with a focus on surpassing the expectations of the patients we serve.”

Kulkarni, a board-certified cardiologist, joined the medical group in 2013 and has since held several key leadership roles, including chairing the Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic Cardiovascular Institute. He spearheaded programs focused on managing conditions such as congestive heart failure and end-stage renal disease. Most recently, as associate medical director, he oversaw medical specialties, urgent care services, patient care experience and hospital strategy.

Kaiser praised Kulkarni’s work in pioneering a one-day evaluation system for transcatheter aortic valve replacement, streamlining what is typically a multiweek process. The health system also credits his enhancements to acute care services for reduced unnecessary hospital admissions and improved patient outcomes.

“Our mission at Kaiser Permanente is to revolutionize health care across the mid-Atlantic region,” Kulkarni said in a statement. “We are committed to making exceptional care easy to access because that is what patients and our communities deserve.”

Kulkarni received his medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine and completed his internal medicine residency at Columbia University Medical Center. He is currently serving a two-year term as president of the American Heart Association Greater Washington Region Board of Directors.

Based in Oakland, California, Kaiser Permanente was founded in 1945 and serves 12.5 million members in eight states and Washington, D.C.