Dan OteroSilver City, NM – The thirteen member Board of Directors of Hidalgo Medical Services (HMS) has unanimously extended the contract of its Chief Executive Officer, the organization announced today. Dan Otero received a three year extension to his contract as CEO.
According to Carmen Acosta, HMS Board Chairwoman, "The HMS Board of Directors has complete confidence in Mr. Otero's ability to achieve our goals, as demonstrated by past and current performance. He has shown effective leadership in the delivery of day-to-day operations and has expanded the scope of services offered to our communities. Mr. Otero is dedicated to serving HMS patients, employees, and the communities we serve. We look forward to continuing our work relationship with Mr. Otero."
"As a long-time member of this community – both personally and professionally – I am truly honored to lead HMS as the CEO. A variety of factors continue to put pressure on our Nation's health care system, and HMS remains steadfast in meeting its mission to improve the health and quality of life for the citizens we serve in both Hidalgo and Grant counties," stated Otero.
Notable achievements accomplished by the HMS team under Otero's leadership, since his hiring in February 2016, include the organization's employee base growing from approximately 200 to 230 staff members, the recruitment and retention of 19 healthcare providers across the system's four service lines, HMS receiving its first ever Quality New Mexico (Piñon Level) recognition status, coordinating the acquisition of four, Grant County Senior Centers, and forging strong partnerships with local and state entities to manage the HMS Tu Casa Substance Abuse Facility.
According to Otero, HMS' commitment to improving the health and well-being of the communities it serves is reflected in the number of diverse healthcare providers that the organization has contracted since his hiring in February 2016: two Family Medicine Physicians with OB experience, two Pediatricians, three Certified Nurse Practitioners, one Physician Assistant, two Clinical Psychologists, four Mental Health Therapists, two Dentists, two Registered Dental Hygienists, and one Registered Dietitian/Certified Diabetes Educator. Otero added, "HMS employees are a professional, high quality team, and it is always my hope that each HMS employee chooses to stay with our organization for the long-term. Our HMS ‘family' is only as strong as its weakest link, and we're here to support all HMS employees in their professional growth and development." Under Otero's supervision, the HMS leadership team continues to develop patient and employee service initiatives with the strategic goal of becoming both a Fortune's Top 100 U.S. Great Place to Work® and a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient.
Otero said that he is aware of increasing optimism about HMS' stability and growth in the community, and understands that need to remain nimble and innovative during times of significant healthcare and political change. "In April 2017, HMS implemented a system-wide patient satisfaction survey to collect feedback from HMS patients and clients – onsite – following their healthcare appointments with us. For the month of January 2018, those results show that at least 98% of all survey participants (more than 375 individuals across all HMS clinical locations) would refer their family or friends to HMS for their healthcare needs," he detailed. Otero added, "Nine of HMS' fifteen clinical quality outcomes exceed national measures set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for all (approximately 1,400) community health centers in the United States. Ten of HMS' fifteen clinical quality outcomes are greater than overall State of New Mexico measures, and both unique HMS patients (15,799 in 2016 to 16,131 in 2017) and the number of HMS patient encounters (73,942 in 2016 to 74,843 in 2017) continue to increase – all while maintaining a healthy bottom line."
As Hidalgo and Grant counties' only Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), HMS provides comprehensive, quality, and affordable medical, dental, mental health, and family support services in a patient-centered and integrated environment to more than 16,000 individuals annually at 13 clinical locations. To learn more about HMS services, providers, and locations, please visit www.hmsnm.org or call (888) 271-3596.