CUTLINE 1: Pictured is Lisa Casteel, CEO, updating the HCMC Board of Trustees Monday night about regulatory and healthcare news at the federal and state level.

CUTLINE 2: Pictured is Billie McKee, CHRO, giving her quarterly report on People to the HCMC Board of Trustees on Monday night.

Paris, TN – Growth was the theme of the evening at the Henry County Medical Center Board of Trustees meeting Monday night. Chief Executive Officer Lisa Casteel updated the board on significant growth opportunities as well as programs already being put into place to continue the organization on a path of “growing forward” for patients and the communities we serve.

Casteel began her report with regulatory news related to the need for expansion of residency programs for physicians in the United States. This year, about 10% of medical students were unable to obtain a residency position, which is contributing to the physician shortage. HCMC has been approached to consider offering a Rural Residency Program. HCMC currently offers clinical rotations for medical students and is reviewing this new opportunity as a growth strategy for recruiting physicians to our community.

Casteel also discussed from the state perspective how closure of rural hospitals is creating more healthcare costs due to the lack of access to care. She also discussed the five major themes of Governor Bill Lee’s Health care modernization Task Force, which included items HCMC is currently reviewing such as telehealth and population health initiatives.

At HCMC, we are launching new services: the Wound Care Center and the eight bed Progressive Care Unit to open in February. Dr. Wayne Gibson, our new full-time cardiologist is expanding our services and we are in the process of developing plans for a new surgical catheterization lab. In regards to recruitment, HCMC has extended a contract to a pediatrician to join Paris Pediatrics and is meeting with a psychiatrist to join our behavioral health team.

Casteel also announced that Henry County Healthcare Center and Plumley Rehab recently received a Tier Three Quality Award from the American Health Care Association for achieving certain outcome metrics in relation to the improvement of patient care. A news release with more detailed information will be released later this week.

With growth, often there comes more expenses and the financial statements for November reflected this fact. Volumes for the year look good and though below budget, are in line with the same numbers we saw last year. Dale Guffey, CFO, reported that HCMC saw a loss of $493,670 for the month. The majority of expenses are related to salaries, which reflect adding staff and orienting them for the new programs launching as well as agency staffing costs. The board approved this report along with $635,336 in bad debt and $433,000 in capital equipment requests with the biggest portion of the funds going to purchase new cardiac monitors for EMS and the hospital.

“Unfortunately, as we have discussed before, revenues are growing, but expenses are higher, and we just haven’t turned the corner yet,” said Dr. Whitby, Chairman of the HCMC Board of Trustees.

Billie McKee, CHRO, provided her quarterly report on People at the meeting. She reviewed the FY2020 strategic objectives related to People and the accomplishments. HCMC is currently at a 16% turnover rate, which is up a little from last year, but still in good standing. HCHC is down from last year, with a 19% turnover rate versus 21% in FY2019. There are currently 24 open RN positions with many of those being newly added positions for growth of the Progressive Care Unit and Cath Lab as well as positions in the hard-to-fill areas of ultrasound techs, paramedics, respiratory technicians, and certified scrub technicians.

To learn more about the growth at Henry County Medical Center, go to our website at www.hcmc-tn.org and read about all the services we offer to care for our community. The next Board of Trustees meeting will be Thursday, January 23 at 5 p.m. in the HCMC Board Room.

About Henry County Medical Center

Located in Paris, TN, Henry County Medical Center is a progressive, integrated healthcare organization committed to serving the healthcare needs of Henry County and the adjoining region. Including a 142-bed hospital and 7 other facilities, the medical center provides a variety of outpatient services, as well as inpatient care. Henry County Medical Center is a county-owned and operated nonprofit institution. For more information: www.hcmc-tn.org.