Benefis VP Kaci Husted Named a 40 Under 40 in Healthcare
Modern Healthcare has recognized Benefis Health System Senior Vice President Kaci Husted as one of the magazine’s 40 Under 40 for 2025.
The 40 Under 40 program recognizes young rising stars in healthcare who “contribute to a culture of innovation and help their organizations achieve and exceed financial, operational, and clinical goals.”
“The 2025 class of 40 Under 40 demonstrate a dedication to improving their organizations, the industry, and access to medical care,” said Mary Ellen Podmolik, editor-in-chief of Modern Healthcare. “Our honorees already are role models blazing trails, and we look forward to seeing their career journeys progress in healthcare.”
Kaci’s profile was featured in the Feb. 10 edition of Modern Healthcare magazine. The recognition highlighted her work making healthcare more convenient, which can be a life-and-death issue as even seemingly small barriers to care result in missed screenings, years between checkups, and poor health outcomes.
Of particular note was Kaci’s work on the project that established the Benefis Women’s and Children’s Center, a 48,000-square-foot, free-standing outpatient clinic that brings together services once spread around several campuses. Rural women benefit from having an annual wellness check and a mammogram on the same day. Busy parents have a healthcare home for their children’s therapies, checkups, and behavioral health treatment.
Kaci also led the way to raising $4 million for the center, selling donors on its merits, particularly donors younger than 40.
Another barrier in northcentral Montana is distance. Kaci was vital in expanding Benefis’ footprint into the Helena market. The Helena Specialty Center saves infusion and outpatient surgery patients in the area at least 180 miles roundtrip on icy winter roads.
Now Kaci is helping develop a project to bridge a significant care gap to help older adults maintain their health. This project aims to keep seniors active, involved, and independent. The Health Aging Center will help connect older adults with a navigator to help with scheduling and follow-up, bring together specialists and screenings in one easy-to-access location, and support proactive aging for this booming demographic. The Women’s and Children’s Center showed the impact of bringing providers together in one space for patient ease and the spark of collaboration, and Benefis expects this center to do the same for seniors.
All three projects are a patient-centered paradigm shift to meet patients where they’re at – busy, located across the region, and overwhelmed by the complexity of healthcare.
