CEO Faces Big Task
NEW LEADER OF JACK HUGHSTON MEMORIAL CHARGED WITH TURNING THE FORMER SUMMIT HOSPITAL AROUND
BY ANDREA V. HERNANDEZ - ahernandez@ledger-enquirer.com
Jim Matney is the new CEO of Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital in Phenix City.
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Hospital purchased by a group of
Hughston Clinic doctors has
struggled since 2006 opening.
When Jim Matney arrived at
Jack Hughston
Memorial Hospital for his
first day as chief executive
officer, he had plenty of challenges
waiting for him.
To name a couple, the $36 million
Phenix City hospital -- formerly
known as Summit Hospital -- was
struggling with unstable patient
flows and fewer-than-expected
on-site procedures.
Established in August 2006, the
70-bed facility also saw the closure
of its labor and delivery unit,
employee layoffs and a CEO
resignation in its first year.
February marked a new beginning for
the hospital. That month, a group of
Hughston Clinic physicians bought
the debt-stricken facility for $47.7
million from Nashville, Tenn.-based
Ameris Health Systems LLC. And in
came Matney.
"I think Jack Hughston had
everything for the makings of a
successful hospital," Matney said.
"I think what I bring to the table
is putting all those pieces together
and making them run like a
well-oiled machine."
Fittingly, Matney -- who has an
accounting background -- has had
extensive experience with hospital
turnarounds.
"I don't really look at things as
challenges," he said. "I look at
things as opportunities."
Now, Matney has the opportunity to
not only improve the hospital's
financial situation, but also
cultivate a company culture of
confidence and stability.
Experience with turnarounds
A Grundy, Va., native, Matney began
working in health care
administration in 1984 as a staff
accountant at Grundy's Buchanan
General Hospital. From there, the
47-year-old has worked in health
care administration at hospitals in
Virginia, Indiana, Tennessee and
Arizona, touting titles of chief
financial officer, chief operating
officer and chief executive officer.
Much of his accomplishments on his
resume have to do with turning
cash-strapped health care facilities
around in short periods of time.
For example, during a four-year
stint as vice president and chief
financial officer at a Virginia
hospital, Matney helped improve net
income by 400 percent in 16 months,
producing profit after a previous
year's loss.
As chief operating officer at a
Phoenix, Ariz. hospital, Matney was
able to increase earnings by 30
percent over the prior year through
tight cost controls.
Matney's past experience was a major
selling point to Hughston Clinic
physicians and administrators. "He
has experience with hospital
turnarounds, and I think both from
an experience standpoint and from a
personal skills standpoint, he's a
perfect fit," said James McGrory,
Hughston Clinic orthopedic surgeon.
Drs.
McGrory,
Lyle Norwood,
Patrick
Fernicola,
Thomas Bernard
Jr.,
Glenn Terry,
Carlton Savory
and
Ken Burkus
make up the Hughston group that
purchased the hospital from Ameris,
which still owns 10 percent.
Matney came to Jack Hughston
Memorial in January from Valley View
Medical Center in Bullhead City,
Ariz. There, he served as chief
executive officer.
In a little more than a year, Matney
helped bring the emergency room's
ranking in patient satisfaction to
No. 1, establish vascular surgery
and cardiac cath programs, expand
operating rooms from four to six,
and establish the facility as a base
station for all local EMS groups.
March 07, 2008
Giving From The Heart
BY RICHARD HYATT --
One is a nurse technician whose wages are small. One is a surgeon who does well on payday.
One walks to work. One sometimes charters private jets.
Now, one single act of kindness has made both men smile.
Names aren't what is important. This could happen to anyone, though unfortunately that is wishful thinking.
For the nurse tech, the story begins a couple of months ago when he gets a job at what was then Summit Hospital in Phenix City. Since he went there, its name has changed to Jack Hughston Memorial.
The man has been out of work for 18 months. He lives on the south side of Columbus; the hospital is on the north side of Phenix City. He doesn't have a car and hasn't since 2005.
He has no ride to work, but he has a job and is grateful. Leaving home at 4 a.m. and ending his walk at the hospital after 6 a.m. is -- to him -- a small price to pay.
"I had a responsibility," he said. "I have four kids to take care of, and I wanted to make them proud."
On the job, he is joyful. He thanks his superiors for putting him to work. He does his job and, if needed, does other people's too.
Every day he walks and every day he works. He doesn't know how far his walk is. Maybe he doesn't want to know.
On a biting cold night in February, Valentine's Day, it rains. He calls someone and offers $10 if the person will come and get him.
As he waits, the surgeon starts to his car. They have spoken to each other but have never had a conversation.
The surgeon knows the tech. His work around the operating room has caught the doctor's eye. He has heard that the younger man walks to work.
"I've been watching you," the surgeon said.
He watches some more and talks to others about the technician's work. They describe his smile and his attitude.
The doctor knows what he must do.
The nurse tech declines but others change his mind.
By that afternoon, he has a car of his own, paid for by a physician who took the time to do some off-duty healing.
"I bought something, but he did something," the surgeon explains.
Both of them feel good about what happened, and so do others who work in the operating room.
A "thank you" card is sent.
"You have magnified your deepest care and compassion for another man's struggles... Thank you and God for lifting another off the ground," someone wrote.
"God gives to those who give and your gift couldn't have gone to someone who deserves it more," wrote another person.
For the owner of the car, it might as well have been a Lexus or a BMW. He is still in shock. He can't believe it is his. He is proud and he is blessed.
And so is the man who gave the gift.
NEWS RELEASE
February 14, 2007
Surgeons at The Hughston Clinic Acquire Summit Hospital
Columbus, Ga. (Feb. 14, 2007) — Surgeons at The Hughston Clinic, P.C., a well-respected orthopaedic practice based in Columbus, Ga., announced today that they have acquired Summit Hospital in Phenix City, Ala., from Ameris Health Systems, LLC. The seven surgeons are Carlton G. Savory, M.D., James E. McGrory, M.D., Lyle A. Norwood, M.D., Patrick J. Fernicola, M.D., Thomas N. Bernard, Jr., M.D., Glenn C. Terry, M.D., and J. Kenneth Burkus, M.D.
“Through this acquisition, we are extremely excited about the future opportunities that lie ahead for our patients and the community,” said Carlton G. Savory, M.D, an Orthopaedic Surgeon at The Hughston Clinic. “We have desired a relationship with a hospital where we can make managerial decisions to better serve the needs of our patients. This is an exciting time for Hughston and the community. Welcome to a new era of health care in the Chattahoochee Valley.”
To honor Dr. Jack C. Hughston, the founder of The Hughston Clinic in 1949, the surgeons have renamed the hospital the Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital.
“It’s a great tribute to honor Dr. Hughston by naming the hospital for him,” said Savory, who will serve as Chairman of the Board of Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital. “Dr. Hughston was a true pioneer of orthopaedics and will always be an inspiration to us all. The mission of the Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital will always be to provide the highest quality medical care to the residents in the Chattahoochee Valley region.”
The Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital provides the Hughston doctors with another conveniently located facility where they can perform surgeries and other procedures. The main campus of The Hughston Clinic will remain in Columbus at 6262 Veterans Parkway and will continue to serve patients from Columbus and around the region as it has for nearly 60 years. The Hughston Clinic consists of 18 orthopaedic surgeons who treat thousands of patients annually at nine facilities in the Southeast.
“We are very excited about the potential of the Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital,” said Mark Baker, COO of The Hughston Clinic. “The purchase of the hospital is consistent with The Hughston Clinic’s expansion objectives and strategic plan. The Clinic is growing and expanding in markets throughout the Southeast. Over the past five years Hughston has invested millions of dollars to upgrade technology and renovate facilities with the ultimate goal of creating a more efficient and quality experience for our patients. The Hughston Clinic has always been on the cutting edge of innovation, education and patient care, and that will never change.”
The surgeons have hired James L. Matney to serve as CEO of Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital. Matney has 24 years of experience in hospital administration and last served as CEO of Valley View Medical Center, a 60-bed hospital in Bullhead City, AZ.
Located in Phenix City, Ala., the Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital is an 110,000-square-foot facility with 62 private patient rooms. Opened in August 2006, the facility is a general hospital providing a wide array of services such as a Surgery Department with outpatient, endoscopy and orthopaedics; and a Diagnostic Imaging Department with ultrasound, MRI and 64-Slice CT Scanner, one of the few scanners of its kind in the region. The hospital features wireless Internet access, 27-inch flat screen televisions in each patient room, a dining hall with outdoor terrace, and floor-to-ceiling windows providing natural light. The hospital received a National Pyramid Award in 2006 from the Associated Builders & Contractors for excellence in design and construction of a healthcare facility.
ABOUT THE HUGHSTON CLINIC
Based in Columbus, Ga., The Hughston Clinic (www.hughston.com) is a full-service orthopaedic practice with nine offices in Georgia and Alabama. Founded in 1949 by Dr. Jack C. Hughston, The Hughston Clinic is a nationally and internationally recognized center of excellence for research, education, training, and the quality treatment of musculoskeletal injury and disease. Other facilities and services located on the campus of The Hughston Clinic in Columbus include The Hughston Foundation Inc., the Hughston Health Center, Hughston Rehabilitation, and Hughston Diagnostics.
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Symposium Showcases Advances In Sports Medicine
BY BORDEN BLACK --
Special to the Ledger-Enquirer
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Dr. Dave Clark, an orthopedic surgeon from Alabama, recalled that while working as an Army surgeon in Heidelberg, Germany, years ago he needed a special tool and ended up buying a drill at the hardware store. The equipment, the techniques and the necessary skills for orthopedic surgery have changed a lot since then. More than a hundred doctors from three states took the opportunity Feb. 1-2 to learn about the latest methods and tools available to benefit their patients.
The First Annual Georgia-Alabama Sports Medicine Symposium was part of the Hughston Foundation's goal of providing education and research, according to Dr. Champ Baker, one of the conference's organizers.
"It introduces the doctors to techniques and shows them how to do procedures," he said.
One of the procedures attracting a lot of attention on the first day was a minimally invasive repair of the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament.) It is the second-most commonly injured knee ligament and is frequently damaged by athletes. Dr. Fred Flandry, of the Hughston Clinic, said the new technique for all-inside-repair, is one of the most minimally invasive.
"We used to make incisions. Now we are finding ways to drill tunnels and pass graphs through some puncture areas," he explained.
Flandry added that The Hughston Clinic has been pioneering such techniques as far back as the 1980s. "What were already minimally invasive arthroscopic procedures... we are making them even more minimally invasive."
The objective he said is quicker recovery, less pain and less hospitalization for the patient.
"Dr. Hughston always wanted this foundation to be a think tank, where ideas could be disseminated and people in the region, nationally and internationally could come to learn," Flandry said.
One of the attendees, Dr. Chris Piller of Rome Georgia agreed that such symposiums help doctors learn new methods, reinforce ideas and procedures they have already learned and get ideas from other doctors. "It's all about trying to stay on the cutting edge," he explained.
That's important at the rate Orthopedic Surgery is developing. Flandry said. "If you haven't seen what's out there in the last few months you're behind."
Four hundred new products for orthopedic surgery were put on the market last year alone, Flandry said. Surgeons come up with ideas of what they would like to see in instruments and then engineers at companies like Arthrex, which sponsored the symposium, develop the tools. Doctors with Arthrex demonstrate how to use them at the company's facility in Naples, Fla., or during symposiums like the one held at the Hughston Foundation.
"At things like this you pick up tips and tricks that may help with something you are already doing," said Dr. Randy Schwartzberg, who works with Arthrex.
That's what many of the doctors did between lectures practicing their skills on artificial joints set up in the conference area. "The innovative design of instruments provides better outcomes for patients," said Dr. James Guerra.
"There is no substitute for practice," he said.
In addition to practicing, the doctors watched live demonstrations performed on cadavers which were broadcast from an operating room into the auditorium.
"It wasn't too long ago that if you tore a shoulder you were gone. Now it can be fixed," Baker pointed out. "Surgeons are more skilled today and they have the advantage of these newer technologies."
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