New COO joins MUSC Health-Charleston Division

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Feb. 26, 2025)- MUSC Health has announced Rick Hundorfean as the new chief operating officer of the MUSC Health-Charleston Division. In this position, Hundorfean will oversee day-to-day operations to ensure that the hospital runs efficiently and achieves its strategic goals. 

“I am excited to have Rick join the MUSC Health-Charleston Division as our new chief operating officer. Under his leadership at Encompass Health, the hospital significantly expanded its annual patient volume while enhancing quality of care and addressing critical access barriers to inpatient rehabilitation services,” said Saj Joy, M.D., CEO of MUSC Health-Charleston Division. “I know he will bring the same expertise and passion to his new role.”

Previously, Hundorfean served as chief executive officer at MUSC Health Rehabilitation Hospital, a free-standing rehabilitation hospital in North Charleston that is an affiliate of Encompass Health.

Hundorfean and his team were honored with the Encompass Health President’s Circle Award in 2022 and 2023. This prestigious award is given annually to the top-performing hospitals within the Encompass Health system, based on key performance metrics.

Previously, Hundorfean served as CEO of University Hospitals Rehabilitation Hospital, a joint venture with Kindred Healthcare. He has also held roles as administrative director for the Neurological, Spine and Pain Management Institutes at University Hospitals and department administrator for the Division of Pain Management at Cleveland Clinic. He spent five years in continuous improvement and program management positions at Cleveland Clinic. Hundorfean holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial manufacturing and systems engineering from Ohio University and an MBA with a health care focus from Baldwin Wallace University. He is also the chair of the 2025 American Heart Association Lowcountry Heart Walk. 

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About MUSC 

 Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system, with a mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates over 3,100 students in six colleges and trains 950+ residents and fellows across its health system. MUSC leads the state in federal and National Institutes of Health and research funding. For information on our academic programs, visit musc.edu.

As the health care system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality and safest patient care while educating and training generations of outstanding health care providers and leaders to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. In 2024, for the 10th consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health University Medical Center in Charleston the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

MUSC has a total enterprise annual operating budget of $7.1 billion. The 31,000 MUSC members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, contract employees, affiliates and care team members who deliver groundbreaking education, research, and patient care.