1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:03,060 Imagine this. You're at the Hyatt Regency Chicago 2 00:00:03,439 --> 00:00:06,000 immersed in insightful discussions with the health care 3 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:07,459 industry's top leaders. 4 00:00:07,839 --> 00:00:10,580 Welcome to Becker's 12th annual CEO 5 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:14,740 and CFO roundtable from November 11th to 14th 6 00:00:15,134 --> 00:00:15,634 2024. 7 00:00:16,175 --> 00:00:19,315 Picture yourself networking with over a 1000 executive 8 00:00:19,454 --> 00:00:20,275 level attendees, 9 00:00:20,734 --> 00:00:23,795 collecting business cards, and forging valuable connections. 10 00:00:24,255 --> 00:00:26,654 Feel the excitement as you engage in 4 11 00:00:26,654 --> 00:00:28,675 days of sessions featuring 400 12 00:00:29,135 --> 00:00:30,870 elite health system speakers. 13 00:00:31,429 --> 00:00:35,049 Envision yourself diving deep into critical topics like 14 00:00:35,109 --> 00:00:37,450 rural health care, digital transformation, 15 00:00:38,070 --> 00:00:40,409 health equity, and c suite diversity. 16 00:00:41,190 --> 00:00:44,729 Now imagine being inspired by our celebrity keynotes, 17 00:00:45,195 --> 00:00:48,234 pro football hall of famers Troy Aikman and 18 00:00:48,234 --> 00:00:52,075 Emmett Smith, 43rd president George w Bush, and 19 00:00:52,075 --> 00:00:55,435 author and journalist Jenna Bush Hager. Their stories 20 00:00:55,435 --> 00:00:56,495 will leave you motivated 21 00:00:56,875 --> 00:00:57,695 and energized. 22 00:00:58,234 --> 00:00:59,535 Don't miss this unparalleled 23 00:00:59,995 --> 00:01:00,495 opportunity. 24 00:01:00,990 --> 00:01:03,329 Get registered today. Visit beckershospitalreview.com 25 00:01:05,230 --> 00:01:06,989 and click on the events page to find 26 00:01:06,989 --> 00:01:08,129 the conference website. 27 00:01:08,510 --> 00:01:09,489 That's the beckershospitalreview.com 28 00:01:11,709 --> 00:01:13,729 events page. See you in Chicago. 29 00:01:14,745 --> 00:01:16,984 This is Laura Dirdle with the Becker's Healthcare 30 00:01:16,984 --> 00:01:17,484 podcast. 31 00:01:17,864 --> 00:01:19,465 I'm thrilled today to be joined by doctor 32 00:01:19,465 --> 00:01:22,665 JR Ford, emergency department medical director and emergency 33 00:01:22,665 --> 00:01:25,245 medicine physician at Hendrick Medical Center, Brownwood, 34 00:01:25,625 --> 00:01:26,924 and Christa Beatty, 35 00:01:27,329 --> 00:01:30,149 chief administrative officer at Hendrick Medical Center, Brownwood. 36 00:01:30,530 --> 00:01:32,450 Doctor Ford, Christa, thank you so much for 37 00:01:32,450 --> 00:01:33,269 being here today. 38 00:01:33,969 --> 00:01:36,149 Thank you for having us, Laura. Thanks, Laura. 39 00:01:36,849 --> 00:01:38,689 Now I'm looking forward to our conversation, and 40 00:01:38,689 --> 00:01:40,450 it'll be really exciting to learn a little 41 00:01:40,450 --> 00:01:41,009 bit more about, 42 00:01:41,755 --> 00:01:42,875 you know, some of the great things that 43 00:01:42,875 --> 00:01:45,435 you're doing at Hendrick Medical Center, Brownwood, and 44 00:01:45,435 --> 00:01:47,515 really how you're thinking about growth and development 45 00:01:47,515 --> 00:01:49,515 in the future. But before we dive in 46 00:01:49,515 --> 00:01:50,875 there, I would love to learn a little 47 00:01:50,875 --> 00:01:52,555 bit more about you both as well as 48 00:01:52,555 --> 00:01:55,479 Hendrick Medical Center, Brownwood. So, Krista, can we 49 00:01:55,479 --> 00:01:56,599 start with you? Can you tell us about 50 00:01:56,599 --> 00:01:59,079 Hendrick Medical Center and really where you're at 51 00:01:59,079 --> 00:02:00,299 today and where you're headed? 52 00:02:01,079 --> 00:02:01,579 Absolutely. 53 00:02:02,119 --> 00:02:04,280 Thank you again for your time. The Hendrick 54 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:06,840 Medical Center in Brownwood is located in Central 55 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:07,340 Texas. 56 00:02:08,165 --> 00:02:11,305 We are about 2 hours from major metropolitan 57 00:02:11,605 --> 00:02:12,105 area, 58 00:02:12,564 --> 00:02:14,405 part of a system, part of the Hendrick 59 00:02:14,405 --> 00:02:15,145 Health System, 60 00:02:15,685 --> 00:02:18,185 which is comprised of 3 hospitals. 61 00:02:19,205 --> 00:02:19,944 The system, 62 00:02:20,780 --> 00:02:23,659 currently has about 54 100 employees and serves 63 00:02:23,659 --> 00:02:25,199 about 24 counties. 64 00:02:25,819 --> 00:02:26,800 Here in Brownwood, 65 00:02:27,580 --> 00:02:29,280 we have about 19,000 66 00:02:29,580 --> 00:02:30,879 people in our city 67 00:02:31,259 --> 00:02:33,280 and then serve about 38,000 68 00:02:33,739 --> 00:02:35,439 here in our 8 county area. 69 00:02:35,995 --> 00:02:36,495 So 70 00:02:37,835 --> 00:02:40,415 currently, we are seeing about 45 71 00:02:41,034 --> 00:02:43,534 to 70 patients on the inpatient side. 72 00:02:44,474 --> 00:02:47,435 At acquisition time 4 years ago when Hendrick 73 00:02:47,435 --> 00:02:47,935 acquired, 74 00:02:48,709 --> 00:02:51,349 Brownwood what was Brownwood Regional? There were 19 75 00:02:51,349 --> 00:02:53,669 patients in the hospital. So we are very 76 00:02:53,669 --> 00:02:55,610 proud of the growth that we have experienced 77 00:02:55,669 --> 00:02:57,209 over the last 4 years. 78 00:02:58,709 --> 00:03:01,049 And that's really impressive to hear. And certainly 79 00:03:01,189 --> 00:03:02,709 great that you've been able to, 80 00:03:03,030 --> 00:03:05,694 continue to grow and develop it and better 81 00:03:05,694 --> 00:03:06,514 serve the community, 82 00:03:07,055 --> 00:03:08,354 since that acquisition. 83 00:03:08,974 --> 00:03:11,955 Now, doctor Ford, from your perspective, you know, 84 00:03:12,174 --> 00:03:13,534 could you tell us a little bit about 85 00:03:13,534 --> 00:03:16,974 yourself and your career? How have you evolved 86 00:03:16,974 --> 00:03:18,814 and what brought you to Hendrick Medical Center, 87 00:03:18,814 --> 00:03:19,314 Brownwood? 88 00:03:20,700 --> 00:03:23,419 Thank you, Laura. So I'm a board certified 89 00:03:23,419 --> 00:03:26,400 emergency medicine physician. I had been practicing 90 00:03:26,700 --> 00:03:27,599 in Abilene, 91 00:03:27,900 --> 00:03:30,800 Texas under Hendrick Medical Center System 92 00:03:31,419 --> 00:03:32,240 since 2017. 93 00:03:33,495 --> 00:03:35,574 I did residency at John Peter Smith in 94 00:03:35,574 --> 00:03:37,594 Fort Worth and came out to Abilene 95 00:03:37,974 --> 00:03:38,634 to work. 96 00:03:39,094 --> 00:03:42,294 And September of last year, I was asked 97 00:03:42,294 --> 00:03:42,955 to come 98 00:03:43,254 --> 00:03:43,754 lead 99 00:03:44,294 --> 00:03:44,955 a change 100 00:03:45,254 --> 00:03:48,099 down in the Brownwood emergency department. And so 101 00:03:48,099 --> 00:03:49,319 they brought me to help, 102 00:03:49,699 --> 00:03:51,699 help our ER be a little more efficient, 103 00:03:51,699 --> 00:03:54,199 but also help our relationship with the community 104 00:03:54,739 --> 00:03:56,759 and just bring a little bit 105 00:03:57,300 --> 00:03:57,620 of, 106 00:03:58,340 --> 00:04:00,039 you know, kindness, thoughtfulness, 107 00:04:00,419 --> 00:04:03,239 and compassionate care to the emergency department. 108 00:04:04,715 --> 00:04:07,034 Well, that's fascinating. You know? And certainly, all 109 00:04:07,034 --> 00:04:09,215 of those things are so important to having 110 00:04:09,675 --> 00:04:11,854 a functional and and, beneficial 111 00:04:12,715 --> 00:04:14,955 ED for the entire community. I I know 112 00:04:14,955 --> 00:04:17,834 from the business and and just administrative standpoint, 113 00:04:17,834 --> 00:04:19,709 how challenging it can be to run an 114 00:04:19,709 --> 00:04:22,269 efficient emergency department, but then, 2, to inject 115 00:04:22,269 --> 00:04:25,069 that kind of sense of kindness, compassion in 116 00:04:25,069 --> 00:04:26,769 community within the care delivered, 117 00:04:27,550 --> 00:04:30,029 just takes everything up a notch. And so 118 00:04:30,029 --> 00:04:32,029 that's really cool to hear that, you know, 119 00:04:32,269 --> 00:04:35,084 you are have the opportunity to leave that 120 00:04:35,084 --> 00:04:35,985 type of change. 121 00:04:36,444 --> 00:04:39,485 Now, you know, when taking that context, what 122 00:04:39,485 --> 00:04:40,544 are some of your, 123 00:04:41,084 --> 00:04:42,604 could you tell us about that change a 124 00:04:42,604 --> 00:04:44,365 little bit in some of your top priorities 125 00:04:44,365 --> 00:04:45,564 for the rest of the year as I 126 00:04:45,564 --> 00:04:47,504 can imagine it continues to evolve? 127 00:04:48,899 --> 00:04:51,379 So this year, we finished a remodel and 128 00:04:51,379 --> 00:04:53,080 expansion of the emergency department. 129 00:04:53,540 --> 00:04:54,360 We had experienced 130 00:04:54,980 --> 00:04:56,040 6% growth 131 00:04:56,580 --> 00:04:58,740 2 years ago and 8% growth this past 132 00:04:58,740 --> 00:05:01,639 year. And so our volumes have been steadily 133 00:05:01,939 --> 00:05:02,439 increasing. 134 00:05:03,084 --> 00:05:05,245 And so we've needed to expand our emergency 135 00:05:05,245 --> 00:05:05,745 department. 136 00:05:06,125 --> 00:05:07,024 We went from 137 00:05:07,404 --> 00:05:08,544 12 rooms to 138 00:05:09,004 --> 00:05:11,164 15 rooms and ability to do some hall 139 00:05:11,164 --> 00:05:14,125 beds when things are very busy. We've increased 140 00:05:14,125 --> 00:05:16,305 nursing staffing in the emergency department 141 00:05:16,764 --> 00:05:17,425 as well. 142 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:20,240 And so and we've also are looking at 143 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:20,740 expanding, 144 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:22,740 some APP coverage 145 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:25,360 to kinda help when things are a little 146 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:27,779 bit busy down there to kinda see people 147 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:30,580 and triage and develop a provider and triage, 148 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:34,455 model to help see people quickly and make 149 00:05:34,455 --> 00:05:35,595 sure everybody gets 150 00:05:36,214 --> 00:05:37,194 seen and evaluated 151 00:05:37,574 --> 00:05:40,295 in a timely manner. And so looking forward 152 00:05:40,295 --> 00:05:42,214 to the rest of this year, it's looking 153 00:05:42,214 --> 00:05:42,714 to 154 00:05:43,254 --> 00:05:45,355 enjoy our new space, which we're very appreciative 155 00:05:46,009 --> 00:05:48,350 for all the remodel down there. It's 156 00:05:48,729 --> 00:05:50,029 been awesome to have 157 00:05:50,410 --> 00:05:52,990 and very appreciative that the administration 158 00:05:53,610 --> 00:05:55,529 felt the need to help us out with 159 00:05:55,529 --> 00:05:58,669 that. And then also just learning new systems 160 00:05:59,154 --> 00:05:59,894 as we're 161 00:06:00,194 --> 00:06:03,095 having our consistent area to go ahead 162 00:06:03,475 --> 00:06:05,475 and see everybody in a timely fashion and 163 00:06:05,475 --> 00:06:07,394 make sure they get the appropriate workup orders 164 00:06:07,394 --> 00:06:09,314 seen quickly and make sure they know they're 165 00:06:09,314 --> 00:06:10,694 being taken care of well. 166 00:06:12,009 --> 00:06:14,009 That's such an excellent point. And, you know, 167 00:06:14,009 --> 00:06:16,970 definitely fantastic that you have the support of 168 00:06:16,970 --> 00:06:19,470 the hospital administration behind you. So, 169 00:06:19,930 --> 00:06:22,009 you know, you can have the resources you 170 00:06:22,009 --> 00:06:23,230 need in order to, 171 00:06:23,770 --> 00:06:27,290 continue to boost the emergency department and and 172 00:06:27,290 --> 00:06:29,845 provide a better service to the broader community. 173 00:06:30,225 --> 00:06:31,525 Krista, from your perspective, 174 00:06:31,985 --> 00:06:33,504 could you tell us a little bit about, 175 00:06:33,504 --> 00:06:34,165 you know, 176 00:06:35,185 --> 00:06:37,425 how the hospital was able to, you know, 177 00:06:37,425 --> 00:06:40,805 really make this decision to improve the ED 178 00:06:41,025 --> 00:06:42,465 and some of the results that you've been 179 00:06:42,465 --> 00:06:43,649 able to see so far? 180 00:06:44,610 --> 00:06:45,110 Absolutely. 181 00:06:46,129 --> 00:06:48,470 When we joined the Hendrick Health System, 182 00:06:49,329 --> 00:06:51,089 we knew that in order to make this 183 00:06:51,089 --> 00:06:51,750 a successful 184 00:06:52,289 --> 00:06:55,110 transition, that we were gonna have to rebuild 185 00:06:55,169 --> 00:06:55,845 the trust, 186 00:06:57,045 --> 00:06:57,865 not only 187 00:06:58,165 --> 00:07:00,485 of the patients and our community, but also 188 00:07:00,485 --> 00:07:01,225 for our 189 00:07:01,764 --> 00:07:03,225 physicians and our providers, 190 00:07:03,685 --> 00:07:06,985 and then also the hospitals, the smaller hospitals 191 00:07:07,045 --> 00:07:08,745 that are in our region. 192 00:07:09,204 --> 00:07:09,944 And so, 193 00:07:10,884 --> 00:07:13,240 I think it's pretty much about the people. 194 00:07:13,860 --> 00:07:15,620 And so going in and making sure that 195 00:07:15,620 --> 00:07:18,020 we have the right nursing staff, the right 196 00:07:18,020 --> 00:07:20,600 support staff, and also the right physicians, 197 00:07:21,300 --> 00:07:24,040 in order to provide that high quality care. 198 00:07:24,774 --> 00:07:26,535 I'm happy to say that currently, we have 199 00:07:26,535 --> 00:07:28,795 zero contract labor in our emergency department, 200 00:07:29,175 --> 00:07:31,915 and that has been very intentional with the 201 00:07:31,975 --> 00:07:32,475 recruitment 202 00:07:32,855 --> 00:07:34,475 of nursing staff. Our, 203 00:07:35,574 --> 00:07:38,694 leadership, nursing leadership has really thought outside the 204 00:07:38,694 --> 00:07:40,154 box in order to 205 00:07:40,830 --> 00:07:42,529 recruit recruit high quality, 206 00:07:43,709 --> 00:07:46,029 nursing staff, and so I contributed to the 207 00:07:46,029 --> 00:07:46,529 people. 208 00:07:46,910 --> 00:07:48,370 We have been able to add, 209 00:07:48,910 --> 00:07:49,649 in the 210 00:07:50,270 --> 00:07:51,730 hospital market, 230 211 00:07:52,990 --> 00:07:53,970 additional employees 212 00:07:55,774 --> 00:07:58,675 since acquisition. And so when you have 213 00:07:59,055 --> 00:07:59,794 the ability 214 00:08:00,334 --> 00:08:02,414 to be very picky about the people that 215 00:08:02,414 --> 00:08:03,074 you hire, 216 00:08:03,454 --> 00:08:05,854 I think you provide a different service and 217 00:08:05,854 --> 00:08:08,949 a different level of care to help, rebuild 218 00:08:08,949 --> 00:08:11,610 the trust of of the community. And so 219 00:08:11,669 --> 00:08:13,990 our goal is to keep patients close to 220 00:08:13,990 --> 00:08:14,490 home. 221 00:08:15,029 --> 00:08:17,129 The closest higher level of care, 222 00:08:17,509 --> 00:08:19,669 Abilene Hospital, is about an hour and 15 223 00:08:19,669 --> 00:08:21,750 minutes away. And so we know that it's 224 00:08:21,750 --> 00:08:22,250 important 225 00:08:23,404 --> 00:08:25,165 to our community to stay close to home 226 00:08:25,165 --> 00:08:26,625 to receive their health care. 227 00:08:27,004 --> 00:08:27,824 We fortunately 228 00:08:28,205 --> 00:08:28,685 have, 229 00:08:29,725 --> 00:08:31,904 a health system that is very supportive 230 00:08:32,285 --> 00:08:34,144 and, helps us to provide 231 00:08:34,845 --> 00:08:37,105 not just the staff but the infrastructure 232 00:08:38,690 --> 00:08:41,330 and support financially to be able to to 233 00:08:41,330 --> 00:08:43,190 provide those, services. 234 00:08:45,090 --> 00:08:47,190 That's amazing to hear. And, you know, especially 235 00:08:47,250 --> 00:08:50,129 thinking about the adding staff portion of it, 236 00:08:50,129 --> 00:08:52,955 you know, it's, been such a challenging few 237 00:08:52,955 --> 00:08:55,215 years to try to recruit and retain talent 238 00:08:55,274 --> 00:08:57,674 across the board. And so it's impressive to 239 00:08:57,674 --> 00:08:59,835 hear that you've been able to add the 240 00:08:59,835 --> 00:09:00,794 right kind of, 241 00:09:01,274 --> 00:09:03,514 muscle to your team in order to see 242 00:09:03,514 --> 00:09:05,294 this transformation out and, 243 00:09:06,290 --> 00:09:08,450 have the opportunity to continue to grow and 244 00:09:08,450 --> 00:09:10,389 expand the services that you're providing. 245 00:09:11,250 --> 00:09:11,750 Absolutely. 246 00:09:13,490 --> 00:09:15,250 Now, you know, you you've been able to 247 00:09:15,250 --> 00:09:15,730 tell us, 248 00:09:16,370 --> 00:09:18,210 or talk through some of this transformation in 249 00:09:18,210 --> 00:09:20,804 broad terms. I I'm wondering what other programs 250 00:09:20,804 --> 00:09:23,204 or initiatives have been most needle moving for 251 00:09:23,204 --> 00:09:24,824 you in the last year or so. 252 00:09:26,164 --> 00:09:28,485 I can tell you from the emergency department 253 00:09:28,485 --> 00:09:28,985 standpoint, 254 00:09:29,444 --> 00:09:30,745 our interventional cardiology 255 00:09:31,365 --> 00:09:32,904 program led by doctor Blanc 256 00:09:33,279 --> 00:09:34,259 has been such 257 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:36,580 a great service to have. 258 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:40,419 Doctor Blanc is out here, and he is, 259 00:09:41,519 --> 00:09:43,200 he is seeing everybody that he can to 260 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:45,919 taking care of a large population of a 261 00:09:45,919 --> 00:09:46,419 large, 262 00:09:46,879 --> 00:09:49,674 older population that we have in our in 263 00:09:49,674 --> 00:09:50,975 our eight county area. 264 00:09:51,355 --> 00:09:53,774 And, he is he is amazing. 265 00:09:54,794 --> 00:09:57,834 He he goes out into the other areas. 266 00:09:57,834 --> 00:09:59,294 He has outreach clinics 267 00:09:59,914 --> 00:10:01,774 in, multiple cities, 268 00:10:02,235 --> 00:10:03,454 that are around Brownwood 269 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:05,920 and make sure to go out there and 270 00:10:05,920 --> 00:10:08,000 see people where they are at instead of 271 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:10,720 everybody coming to Brownwood and so people can 272 00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:12,100 stay closer to home. 273 00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:14,340 We've added dialysis 274 00:10:14,800 --> 00:10:15,300 recently 275 00:10:16,625 --> 00:10:19,764 whenever we needed to have inpatient dialysis done 276 00:10:19,904 --> 00:10:21,845 on a patient. So even if we're admitting 277 00:10:22,784 --> 00:10:25,684 a patient who gets Monday, Wednesday, Friday dialysis, 278 00:10:26,225 --> 00:10:27,985 even if we're admitting them for 24 or 279 00:10:27,985 --> 00:10:29,745 48 hours, we were having to transfer these 280 00:10:29,745 --> 00:10:31,605 patients out of the emergency department. 281 00:10:31,940 --> 00:10:34,120 And that's no longer the case. The administration, 282 00:10:35,539 --> 00:10:38,659 got us a nephrology program here to help 283 00:10:38,659 --> 00:10:41,220 us do inpatient dialysis. So that has helped 284 00:10:41,220 --> 00:10:43,379 us with not having to transfer out so 285 00:10:43,379 --> 00:10:44,120 many patients. 286 00:10:44,745 --> 00:10:48,365 We have excellent orthopedic coverage, excellent GI coverage. 287 00:10:48,985 --> 00:10:49,485 And 288 00:10:49,785 --> 00:10:50,764 so whenever 289 00:10:51,705 --> 00:10:53,945 we are finding a reason to transfer people 290 00:10:53,945 --> 00:10:56,904 out, we start looking at ways to keep 291 00:10:56,904 --> 00:10:57,404 folks. 292 00:10:57,850 --> 00:10:58,429 One of 293 00:10:59,049 --> 00:11:00,350 the most impressive turnarounds 294 00:11:00,730 --> 00:11:02,429 has been our pediatric program. 295 00:11:03,210 --> 00:11:03,710 And 296 00:11:04,090 --> 00:11:06,669 we are starting to we have had 297 00:11:07,210 --> 00:11:08,029 a 300% 298 00:11:08,889 --> 00:11:11,290 increase in patient days, pediatric patient days? Yes. 299 00:11:11,290 --> 00:11:13,954 In pediatric patient days to take care of 300 00:11:13,954 --> 00:11:14,855 our young ones 301 00:11:15,315 --> 00:11:17,794 in the area. And Doctor. Morris has been 302 00:11:17,794 --> 00:11:18,855 a big part of that 303 00:11:19,235 --> 00:11:20,534 as a local pediatrician. 304 00:11:21,074 --> 00:11:22,695 And he does an excellent job 305 00:11:24,195 --> 00:11:26,134 on the inpatient side as well as 306 00:11:27,554 --> 00:11:28,375 at his office. 307 00:11:29,220 --> 00:11:31,320 And so as an ER doctor 308 00:11:32,339 --> 00:11:34,120 several years ago under the previous 309 00:11:34,580 --> 00:11:35,080 regime, 310 00:11:35,459 --> 00:11:37,779 we were having to transfer all these people 311 00:11:37,779 --> 00:11:39,559 out. And I can't tell you how 312 00:11:40,845 --> 00:11:42,605 hard it is as an ER doctor trying 313 00:11:42,605 --> 00:11:44,865 to transfer out 4 or 5, 314 00:11:45,485 --> 00:11:47,564 8 people in a shift. It takes a 315 00:11:47,564 --> 00:11:48,865 lot of time and resources 316 00:11:49,804 --> 00:11:50,464 and your 317 00:11:50,845 --> 00:11:53,024 emergency department kind of comes to a standstill. 318 00:11:53,509 --> 00:11:55,610 Being able to keep all these people here, 319 00:11:56,629 --> 00:11:58,809 one, is just excellent for patient care. 320 00:11:59,350 --> 00:12:01,909 But 2, it also talks about rebuilding trust 321 00:12:01,909 --> 00:12:04,169 in the community, knowing that people are gonna 322 00:12:04,309 --> 00:12:06,149 have high quality care right here in their 323 00:12:06,149 --> 00:12:06,809 own backyards. 324 00:12:09,085 --> 00:12:11,085 That's amazing to hear. What a you know, 325 00:12:11,085 --> 00:12:13,325 it was great success story in in being 326 00:12:13,325 --> 00:12:15,165 able to, like you said, better serve the 327 00:12:15,165 --> 00:12:16,225 community, have, 328 00:12:16,684 --> 00:12:20,045 closer care for people within Brownwood and the 329 00:12:20,045 --> 00:12:23,070 broader area. And then 2, you know, having 330 00:12:23,070 --> 00:12:26,029 the ability to, for the hospital, just keep 331 00:12:26,029 --> 00:12:26,529 people, 332 00:12:27,149 --> 00:12:29,389 there and be able to serve them there 333 00:12:29,389 --> 00:12:31,710 and become efficient at that type of service 334 00:12:31,710 --> 00:12:33,470 line. And so it's really cool to hear 335 00:12:33,470 --> 00:12:35,550 and see. And I can imagine, you know, 336 00:12:35,550 --> 00:12:37,870 going through the process and looking into, 337 00:12:39,014 --> 00:12:41,654 you know, what will make this most needle 338 00:12:41,654 --> 00:12:43,754 moving has really had a great impact, 339 00:12:44,534 --> 00:12:45,914 on the hospital as well. 340 00:12:47,574 --> 00:12:49,334 Yes. We're very proud of the things that 341 00:12:49,334 --> 00:12:51,894 we've been able to do. The community has 342 00:12:51,894 --> 00:12:53,674 been very supportive, welcomed 343 00:12:54,129 --> 00:12:55,509 Hendrick with open arms. 344 00:12:56,370 --> 00:12:59,110 They had been looking for a consistent 345 00:13:00,129 --> 00:13:03,169 health care provider. And the fact that we 346 00:13:03,169 --> 00:13:04,069 are locally 347 00:13:04,769 --> 00:13:05,269 led, 348 00:13:05,649 --> 00:13:07,409 is a big is a big change for 349 00:13:07,409 --> 00:13:09,764 them. They're not being run out of another 350 00:13:09,764 --> 00:13:10,745 state, but 351 00:13:11,125 --> 00:13:12,745 it's truly locally led. 352 00:13:14,884 --> 00:13:16,745 That's so so important, especially, 353 00:13:17,444 --> 00:13:20,404 within, you know, communities, smaller communities in areas 354 00:13:20,404 --> 00:13:20,904 where 355 00:13:21,750 --> 00:13:24,009 having that local presence and the local leadership 356 00:13:24,230 --> 00:13:25,529 really does make a difference. 357 00:13:26,149 --> 00:13:28,629 Now before we wrap up here, I'm wondering 358 00:13:28,629 --> 00:13:30,950 how are you thinking about growth and patient 359 00:13:30,950 --> 00:13:32,789 experience in the future? What do you really 360 00:13:32,789 --> 00:13:33,610 see as being, 361 00:13:34,389 --> 00:13:37,129 so important for the continued evolution 362 00:13:37,514 --> 00:13:38,415 of the hospital? 363 00:13:39,355 --> 00:13:41,434 We're very excited about the plans that we 364 00:13:41,434 --> 00:13:42,254 have for, 365 00:13:42,875 --> 00:13:44,415 moving forward in 2024. 366 00:13:45,514 --> 00:13:48,335 Our fiscal year just, just started in September. 367 00:13:48,715 --> 00:13:50,475 And so we're excited to have a clean 368 00:13:50,475 --> 00:13:52,475 slate and be able to proceed with our 369 00:13:52,475 --> 00:13:52,975 plans. 370 00:13:53,940 --> 00:13:55,639 As we said, as we have grown 371 00:13:56,660 --> 00:13:57,720 our census, 372 00:13:58,340 --> 00:13:59,940 we have the people to be able to 373 00:13:59,940 --> 00:14:01,300 take care of them, but we are running 374 00:14:01,300 --> 00:14:02,040 out of space. 375 00:14:02,580 --> 00:14:04,259 And so we have a couple of floors 376 00:14:04,259 --> 00:14:06,120 within the hospital that 377 00:14:06,634 --> 00:14:09,455 are not currently being used for patient care. 378 00:14:10,075 --> 00:14:12,174 And so potential projects that we, 379 00:14:12,794 --> 00:14:14,654 are looking towards are 380 00:14:15,195 --> 00:14:16,975 expanding our med surg floor. 381 00:14:17,674 --> 00:14:19,914 Currently, we can take care of 38 patients 382 00:14:19,914 --> 00:14:20,815 on that floor. 383 00:14:21,460 --> 00:14:24,279 And you can imagine as we're adding services 384 00:14:24,340 --> 00:14:25,480 that we have got to 385 00:14:25,860 --> 00:14:28,500 increase the number of inpatient beds and not 386 00:14:28,500 --> 00:14:30,980 have to hold those patients in doctor Ford's 387 00:14:30,980 --> 00:14:31,960 emergency room. 388 00:14:32,340 --> 00:14:34,279 He wants to take care of those emergency 389 00:14:34,419 --> 00:14:35,940 room patients, and so we need to get 390 00:14:35,940 --> 00:14:36,679 those inpatients 391 00:14:37,194 --> 00:14:38,815 up to an inpatient floor. 392 00:14:39,434 --> 00:14:39,934 OB, 393 00:14:40,554 --> 00:14:43,595 maternal services and children's services, is very important 394 00:14:43,595 --> 00:14:45,134 to us as this community 395 00:14:45,595 --> 00:14:46,095 grows. 396 00:14:46,634 --> 00:14:48,975 And so we will be looking at 397 00:14:49,490 --> 00:14:51,169 the possibility of moving that to a different 398 00:14:51,169 --> 00:14:53,490 floor and really renovating that floor to make 399 00:14:53,490 --> 00:14:55,269 it more pediatric friendly, 400 00:14:55,970 --> 00:14:57,829 and be able to expand those services. 401 00:14:58,449 --> 00:15:00,769 And then as doctor Ford talked about our 402 00:15:00,769 --> 00:15:01,909 cardiology services, 403 00:15:03,125 --> 00:15:04,404 we currently have 1, 404 00:15:04,964 --> 00:15:07,044 cath lab. And so the addition of a 405 00:15:07,044 --> 00:15:09,464 second cath lab and supporting services, 406 00:15:10,164 --> 00:15:10,985 for that 407 00:15:11,365 --> 00:15:11,865 cardiologist 408 00:15:12,325 --> 00:15:14,884 cardiology service line is very important. And we 409 00:15:14,884 --> 00:15:15,625 look to 410 00:15:16,429 --> 00:15:19,089 look to expand in that direction as well. 411 00:15:19,230 --> 00:15:20,850 You know, I contribute our success, 412 00:15:21,309 --> 00:15:23,470 to the culture that we've created being a 413 00:15:23,470 --> 00:15:24,769 not for profit organization, 414 00:15:25,789 --> 00:15:27,169 and then truly living, 415 00:15:27,549 --> 00:15:29,809 the mission that we have that's to provide 416 00:15:30,154 --> 00:15:32,735 high quality health care with excellence and compassion, 417 00:15:33,274 --> 00:15:35,855 consistent with the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. 418 00:15:36,634 --> 00:15:38,955 And so that has truly transformed the culture 419 00:15:38,955 --> 00:15:41,294 here, at Hendrick Medical Center in Brownwood. 420 00:15:42,250 --> 00:15:44,730 That's amazing to hear. Doctor Ford, Christa, thank 421 00:15:44,730 --> 00:15:46,009 you so much for joining us on the 422 00:15:46,009 --> 00:15:48,590 podcast today. This has been a fantastic conversation. 423 00:15:49,050 --> 00:15:51,210 I really appreciate you being candid about some 424 00:15:51,210 --> 00:15:52,649 of the different things you've worked on and 425 00:15:52,649 --> 00:15:54,570 the successes you've had and look forward to 426 00:15:54,570 --> 00:15:56,350 connecting with you again in the future.