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Henry County Medical Center Shows Growth in Targeted Areas

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PARIS (August 8) — This Thursday night was a very busy in Henry County with several meetings and events happening including the Henry County Fair.
Attendance was strong with members expressing joy and enthusiasm for the outstanding accomplishments of Henry County Medical Center this past year.
The Long Range Planning Committee of HCMC meets four times a year and is an opportunity for community members to learn about services and help shape the goals and objectives for the next fiscal year. It is also an opportunity to review accomplishments with goals met and in-depth education on services that affect the medical center.  
Lisa Casteel, CEO, began the meeting discussing the FY2019 strategic objectives.
HCMC accomplished all but two of the strategic goals for the year involving cardiology and collaboration with Carey Counseling, which both are in process.
Casteel also shared that everything on the balanced scorecard metrics was in green or blue, except two measures including the emergency room door to physician wait times. Many changes were made, including physician hiring in the ER and a new medical screening process.
Casteel said the Paris and Henry County Healthcare Foundation raised $20,000 that will help the organization renovate and improve the Emergency Department area for better patient experience as well.
After reviewing the accomplishments for FY2019, three managers showcased their achievements in their service, which helped support the organization and ultimately help HCMC achieve a positive bottom line for the year.
Rhonda Crossett, director of Women’s Services, shared with the committee information about the new neonatology service, PedforAll and its affect on the bottom line at HCMC and families in the community and region.
This new service line offers 24-hour coverage for moderate to high-risk deliveries. It allows women, who previously would have delivered at another facility, the ability to stay closer to home to deliver and care for their new little ones. The special care nursery admits newborns 32 weeks gestation or older.
In July, HCMC delivered 69 babies, the highest number ever for the organization. In 2018, HCMC saw 286 births and in 2019 had 534 births, an 85.7% growth rate.
Crossett shared a patient testimonial video by Sarah Rowlett, a high-risk pregnancy who was able to deliver twins at HCMC and utilize the special care nursery for her babies. To view her video, go to HCMC’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/henrycomedcenter.

“I think this is the best thing we have done,” said Scott Whitby, MD, HCMC Board of Trustees chair. “Keeping sick babies here with their families is outstanding and is what we are all about.”
Jeff Tucker, director of HCMC In-Home Equipment and Supplies, presented next on the durable medical equipment service line, offering some outstanding growth statistics as well.
With four staff members, Tucker began the journey of the service in 2015, taking a year to receive accreditation and contracts, but today offers the largest DME showroom between Nashville and Memphis.
Customer satisfaction score is 99.53%. Only five complaints were filed in 33 months of service. The service line has only touched the surface, basically only servicing the hospital and hospital-owned practices.
Plans include adding new services and marketing to the community physicians outside the organization.
DeAnn Berry, director of Critical Care and Cardiac Rehab, shared a presentation on the pulmonology service line and its massive growth since Dr. Jim Carruth joined HCMC.Ventilator use on the unit increased substantially with at least one per day utilization. Ventilator use by hours increased from 32 hours in January to 848 hours in July.
Patient days and admissions in the unit increased with 103 new admits. That is a 20.4% increase in patient-days.
“There is a common theme here,” said Kreg Kyle, member of HCMC Board of Trustees and county commissioner. “There is no place like home and now we can keep patients here.”
Casteel discussed several opportunities where HCMC will continue to be able to share about growth including:
State of Healthcare presentation to the Henry County Commission in September 
Profile of the hospital and rural healthcare on News Channel 5 to air sometime in August.
A site visit from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, HRSA, and THA is next week to showcase OB/GYN services, HCMC’s grant programs, and how HCMC is transforming rural healthcare and making it work.
To learn more about HCMC and how the institution is growing forward to meet the needs of our region, visit us online at www.hcmc-tn.org.