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Category: Front Page News Front Page News
Published: 28 June 2017 28 June 2017

By Mary Alice Murphy

Taffy Arias said her new job as Gila Regional Medical Center chief executive officer is a challenge. "Certain people want life to go on the same way forever and ever, and they're happy that way. I'm one of those who want to make things better and bring meaning to one's life. Whatever we exchange a minute of our life for has to be of value."

"There is no greater honor to me than to bring improvements to healthcare," she said. "We aren't talking about a business, but you are talking about people's lives, human beings. It is no greater honor than to serve human beings in the world and to make their lives better."

 

She said when patients come into the hospital they are scared and so are their family members. "They don't know how their lives will be changed or even if they will go back home. They don't know what financial liability they face. Our obligation as health care workers is to ease that for them, no matter the problem. That's a huge responsibility.

 

"Our obligation is to focus on the patient and family members during this most stressful time and to ease their pain," Arias said.

To a question about negotiations with the University of New Mexico Cancer Center, "they have agreed to put at least one provider fulltime here five days a week. That will be an enhancement over the hours of physician coverage that we have now. We will be making offers to all the current Cancer Center staff members. We want to keep them whole, and we know they are the ones who have really been providing that compassionate care to everyone who came through those doors. They are greatly valued by our community and this organization."

She said she would be meeting with them individually and making offers to let them know how much "we appreciate them and the care they have given the patients. We are asking all of them to apply, and we are hoping they all stay."

"We keep getting closer in the negotiations," Arias said. "As for the transition, we are sensitive to that time constraint. Our goal is to have someone here the next day. We are getting medical records together and to go forth to make it a smooth transition."

She said there might be a gap in radiation, because of the need to re-commission the equipment, which will be decommissioned the last day of service of the current provider. "We are trying to arrange it so the gap is minimized, and if there is a gap, we will find alternative care for them. We are trying to alleviate their stress. Even our board is insistent on a smooth transition. The outcome for all our patients is that they deserve a smooth transition."

"The Cancer Center treatment is a blessing for us," Arias said. "We will make sure the physicians are all top quality."

She said the staff at Gila Regional is "excellent, second to none. The community has a gold mine in this hospital and the community must support us, so we can grow and bring in additional services, so people don't have to travel outside this community."

"I'm blessed to be here," Arias said.

To a question about outcomes, she replied that one of her priorities is to create a high-reliability hospital, and that high reliability focuses on patient care, patient safety and quality for best outcomes.

"What value do we bring to each patient?" Arias asked and answered. "It's in the patient's eyes. And the biggest issue is wait times. No patient values wait times. It is reliability in the departments that will drive finances. Finance doesn't drive quality.

"We, as an organization, are developing that culture of safety for our patients," she continued. "At every touch point, whether registration, housekeeping, nursing, the lab, radiology, the patient has to see value."

As for politics, she said she is fortunate to be coming in from outside the organization. "I don't have garbage on me, I have no relationships and no pre-conceived ideas. I see situations as I see them. Because I have that clarity, I can make decisions without thinking about whose toes I'm stepping on. I am only focused on doing my best for this organization, to make it strong. I will do my best for the community and for those who work here."

Arias plans to make the hospital lean and financially sound, and focused on the patients at all times. "Those who lose that focus probably don't need to be working in this organization. There is no excuse."

She "very much" enjoys interacting with the community. "One of the reasons is that I have an appreciation for the community." She said many times when people come from the outside, they want to change the community to fit them. "One needs to immerse oneself into the community. By doing that, you communicate better with them, so they can understand you and you can understand them."

She noted that many times leadership isolates itself from the community, "but nothing is more important than community. If you isolate yourself and don't open yourself to the community, you build mistrust. People have to know that what you say is what you believe and that they can trust and believe you and that they are getting the truth from you. You have only one thing that is of great value and that is your integrity."

Arias said her husband, Rafael, is retired, and "is very happy living in Silver City. He's a great partner and he's my very best friend."

As for growth of the facility, she said right now she is evaluating the service lines. "We are lacking several and are recruiting for them, including ENT (ears, nose and throat), more urology, more pediatricians and family practice physicians. We have to meet the needs of the community."

"We will do a thorough analysis on what is needed," Arias said. "We will look at volumes, age groups, at how many we have of certain types of doctors and to see what the gaps are. Our goal it to make sure people do not have to wait for appointments. We need same-day appointments. If you have a problem, we need to get you in.

"I just want to assure everyone in this community that I'm here for them," she continued. "The only reason I'm here is to serve them."

The hospital needs people in leadership roles "to look at every avenue and determine how to provide the best health care with limited resources and limited reimbursements."

She acknowledges that with health care, tough decisions have to be made to secure the facility. "What is going on in health care with reimbursement is a challenge. With contractuals, when they come in, the difference is staggering. And you have to think how do I make that up that difference. How do I grow the volume, so that we're viable?"

Chief financial officers are crucial in the success of the organization. The CEO has to be able to rely on what's going on in finance; that leader, the CFO, is keeping track of every penny coming in and out. "We work side by side to make sure we're planning growth in the right direction."

Gila Regional has an interim CFO JoBeth Vance, but Arias confirmed that a search for a permanent CFO has already started. "The person we pick for the permanent position has to be very knowledgeable in health care finance and also in strategic development."

She noted that all businesses go through transitions with leadership. "There are strong leaders; some are weak; and some are coasting through. To be a good leader, a strong leader, you may not be popular. We're not in it for the popularity contest, but because this is a very serious business we are dealing with, very serious."

"My leadership style is that I am absolutely clear about what my expectations are," Arias said. "I say it over and over again to enhance that clarity. People are held accountable for that outcome. You remember what I said: 'No excuses.' I know I'm held accountable, and I have a community of more than 10,000 people holding me accountable. I want to share it with everyone," she chuckled.

Sometimes, businesses have a lot of informal leaders, who see themselves as being in the know, knowing more than they really do know and voicing these thoughts, as if they are truth. People see them as being in the know and believe what they say. "Unfortunately, they are not in the know and they have a sense of self-importance that is beyond me. I'm very humble about what I do, and I'm very clear about why I'm doing it. I get great pleasure in having an organization be successful. Whatever part I have in that is truly rewarding."