August 29, 2008

Poore new CEO for HRMC

After spending three months searching for the right leader for Haywood Regional Medical Center, the hospital’s governing board extended an offer of employment to John Michael Poore Jr. to become the new CEO of HRMC. Poore announced Friday that he has accepted the offer and said expects to assume the position on Oct. 1.

“I am extremely honored to have been selected by the board to lead Haywood Regional Medical Center into the future. I am both humbled and heartened by the passion of the community for our hospital. I am energized by the opportunity to work with the employees, physicians and community to make HRMC the exceptional healthcare provider that our residents deserve,” Poore said.

“We have much work to do, but great new possibilities are on the horizon,” he said.

Poore possesses a strong track record of success in a variety of settings that has helped him develop and demonstrate skill in organizational management, financial administration, interpersonal interaction and overall leadership, said Glenn White, chairman of the Haywood Regional Medical Center Board of Commissioners.

“Mike is an engaging individual who works hard to develop those with whom he works, including staff, physicians, his board and his community. We believe Mike’s combination of professional skills, experiences and his personal style will fit well at HRMC and within Haywood County,” White said.

Poore began his career in healthcare at the age of 22 and has more than 20 years of experience in virtually all aspects of healthcare administration. He said he knows first-hand the challenges associated with working for a hospital which has faced significant adversity.

In 1998, the hospital with which he worked in Virginia was one week away from closing because payroll could not be met. Poore and other members of the administrative team facilitated the hospital’s turnaround from a $1.5 million loss in the quarter before he arrived to nine consecutive months of positive margin growth by focusing on quality care, efficient processes and sound financial management.

For the past year, Poore has served as senior vice president for Wellstar Health System, a five hospital system serving the northwest Atlanta market. He has served as the administrator for Wellstar Douglas Hospital, a 98-bed acute care facility; Wellstar Paulding Hospital, a 40-bed acute care facility; and the 182-bed Paulding Nursing Facility. From 2004 until last year, Poore served as vice president and administrator for Wellstar Douglas Hospital.

At Wellstar, Poore established and implemented a comprehensive physician recruitment and retention plan that emphasized both owned and affiliated practices to serve the community’s needs.

Every physician at the Wellstar hospitals had Poore’s personal phone number, he said. He also held two physician retreats annually.

From the most senior to the most junior employee, Poore said he believes that by developing ownership and pride in employees, an organization will flourish. A testament to this approach is the fact that Wellstar has a turnover rate of only 9.6 percent, and the hospital has a waiting list in several areas of nursing. The national average turnover for nurses is 14 percent.

Prior to meeting with the HRMC board, medical staff, employees and community leaders on Aug. 8, Poore said he did a lot of research about HRMC, including the certification problems with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

“It breaks my heart to see what this hospital has been through,” he said. “You have a jewel; the hospital is a beautiful facility,” Poore said at the community event. He cited a list of five pillars of every successful hospital: people, safe and quality care, customer satisfaction, strong finances, and continued growth.

Poore said the first thing he plans to do is to hold meetings with every staff member in the hospital.

“You have to have engaged employees to make things happen,” he said. His philosophy, he said, is to give your employees the tools needed to do their job, knock down any barriers, and then get out of the way and let them do their job.

Rebuilding is a slow, gradual process, Poore said.

“You have the building blocks; the medical staff is so passionate about this hospital,” he said. ”It will involve one patient at a time. There are no silver bullets; no magic wand. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication. It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen.”

Poore is originally from Mobile, Ala. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Services Administration at Auburn University and a Masters of Business Administration degree at the University of South Alabama. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Poore and his wife, Penny, have two sons and one daughter. Penny regularly volunteers at the Wellstar hospitals and indicated she will be just as involved with HRMC and in the Haywood community.

At the end of April, the HRMC governing board hired The McAulay Firm, based in Charlotte, to conduct the CEO search. Healthcare practice leader Martin Godwin worked with the board’s designated search committee to proactively identify and assess prospective candidates for the CEO position.

Following a national search in which hundreds of individuals were contacted, Mike Poore was the committee’s top choice. The board agreed with the committee’s recommendation.

Members of the CEO Search Committee are Glenn White, hospital governing board chairman; Dr. Henry Nathan, Dr. Richard Steele, Mark Clasby and Jim Stevens, hospital governing board members; Larry Ammons, chairman of the Haywood County Board of Commissioners; Dr. Shannon Hunter, chief of medical staff at HRMC; registered nurses Jill Burnett and Johnny Sue Freck; Dr. Frances Owl-Smith; Dr. Mike Pass; and HRMC Foundation board members Frank Powers and Phyllis Prevost.