Nick Holekamp, MD, is the chief medical officer at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital in St. Louis. The only one of its kind in Missouri, Ranken Jordan specializes in care for kids with complex medical conditions during their transition from an acute care hospital to home, serving as a “bridge” for patients and their families.

Since joining in 2000, Dr. Holekamp has become an expert in the pediatric complex care field and a champion of Ranken Jordan’s unique care model, “Care Beyond the Bedside.”

An ethos first conceptualized by hospital founder Mary Ranken Jordan, Care Beyond the Bedside centers around the idea that the more time patients spend outside of their hospital bed, the more likely they are to have a better recovery.

Dr. Holekamp has tested and studied the Care Beyond the Bedside model through caring for more than 2,000 patients and their families, as well as by conducting research. He recently co-authored a paper, which has been accepted for publication in Child: Care, Health & Development, that measured how and where patients at Ranken Jordan spend their time. The study found the hospital’s patients are out of bed almost half of their waking hours, a stat nearly unheard of in acute care hospitals.

In addition to caring for patients, Dr. Holekamp assumed the leadership role of Chief Medical Officer in 2001. Since his appointment, Ranken Jordan transitioned from a 26-bed pediatric nursing home into a 60-bed, advanced pediatric specialty hospital that is regionally recognized as a center of excellence for the care of children with medical complexities. In 2018, he oversaw a $35-million expansion that nearly doubled the hospital’s capacity, and he continues to lead initiatives that ensure a collaborative, high-quality, patient-centered care environment.

A graduate of Dartmouth College and Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Dr. Holekamp completed his residency in pediatric and adolescent medicine at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center. Prior to joining Ranken Jordan, he was a pediatric hospitalist at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis.

In addition to his latest research, Dr. Holekamp co-authored “The Effect of a Comprehensive Care Transition Model on Cost and Utilization for Medically Complex Children with Cerebral Palsy,” a research paper published in the Journal of Pediatric Health Care in 2017 showing the benefits of Ranken Jordan’s care model. In October 2018, he presented his findings at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Complex Care Association in a talk titled, “An Innovative Model of Transitional Care for Medically Complex Children.”

Dr. Holekamp has also been recognized for his leadership and impact on the local community. In 2019, the Missouri Foundation for Health named Dr. Holekamp the Dr. Corinne Walentik Leadership in Health Award. In 2023, he was asked to give a talk about his work at TEDxStLouis, the St. Louis arm of the popular TEDx program.