New Fishermen’s CEO Details Vision for Future

In late January, Health File, a quarterly publication of the Key West Citizen, interviewed the new CEO of Fishermen’s Community Hospital in Marathon.    Prior to Fishermen’s, Hal Leftwich was CEO of Hancock Medical Center, an acute care hospital in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Below is the interview:

What prepared you to take the CEO position at Fishermen’s in Marathon?

I’ve been in the hospital industry for some 30 years, about 18 of them in CEO or administrator positions at many different sized hospitals in a variety of communities, gaining knowledge and experience dealing with the many challenges of running a successful hospital.  

In addition, I grew up in Florida, visited the Keys with my family and friends, enjoy boating, scuba diving, and other activities here.  So when the opportunity to lead a hospital in the Keys came, I knew it was right for me.

Now that you have been here about a month, what has surprised you most?

Not as much surprised as impressed by the innovative and creative solutions the hospital had in place to leverage its strengths.  

Programs like offering outpatient surgery patients special consideration and a room at the hospital the night before their surgery if space is available, so they don’t have to get up in the middle of the night to make an early morning trip for surgery is one example; triaging patients at the bedside in the ER to provide faster access to care is another.

What is your leadership style?

In general, my style is participative, a consensus builder.  Being available to medical staff, employees and many others is a major focus -- they understand what patient care needs are and have great ideas on how to meet them.  A strong vision for the future direction of the hospital helps set operational goals effectively.   Positive relationships with our physicians are essential – they are the leaders of clinical care team, and it is very important that leadership put patient care at the forefront in our daily operations. 

What areas need immediate attention from the new CEO? 

One of the biggest issues for the hospital is developing a strategic vision to guide our efforts.  We are in the middle of that process now, and have included the medical staff, employees, Auxilians, local employers and governmental agencies, tourism interests, and others in the planning.   Armed with input from these varied sources, and community health care/ population data, the Board of Trustees will have a strong base from which to formulate a strategic vision that will shape our operational policies for the future.-more-
AD1--InterviewAs you know, the Middle Keys has many visitors who spend several months a year here.  

What is the hospital doing to ensure appropriate care for older snowbirds?  

We make many adjustments at this time of year.  We bring on extra physical therapists so part-time residents can continue their rehab when they get to the Keys, we add to our nursing staff as the patient care activities increase – the whole organization adapts to these increased needs.  We are continually recruiting for physicians to strengthen our services to better meet patient needs.  Our switch to a new electronic health record system will benefit snowbirds too in the future, as we will be able to more readily exchange clinical information with providers in other areas.    
High technology is expected in hospitals, but very expensive.  

What are your options and solutions?

The current status of technology at the hospital is very solid.  We are installing a state-of- the-art digital mammography system by this summer, our MRI is one of the most advanced available, our surgical suites are top notch, and our comprehensive technology service capabilities help keep us up to date.  We take advantage of the purchasing economies of scale available through our affiliation with Quorum, and we have created the “Fishermen’s Foundation” that will focus on raising philanthropic funds for expensive technology purchases and other projects for the hospital.

What is your vision for the hospital?   

Some of the future will be dictated by governmental policy.  But as you focus on health care at the local level, the future will be driven by outpatient services, patient convenience, and a strong inpatient component to back them up.  Improving coordination and communication at every level of the continuum of care, by patients and providers, from the initial contact, to the primary care and specialist physicians, often with inpatient hospital care and follow up, can significantly improve the delivery of care at every step.  Fishermen’s Community Hospital is a strong economic engine for our area and will continue to be an essential component of our area’s economic development.  Our employees are skilled and dedicated not only to the hospital but to their community as well.  The hospital’s tag line “Health Care Starts Here” is a commitment from everyone associated with our hospital that Fishermen’s will continue to be the anchor for outstanding health care services in the Middle Keys.