dsc 7498cofc

From left, GMC CEO Taffy Arias, CFO Richard Stokes and Director of Marketing Doug Oakes (Photo by Sandra Michaud)

By Hallie Richwine

The Silver City-Grant County Chamber of Commerce luncheon this month, held on Dec. 6, 2018, featured an update from the Gila Regional Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Taffy Arias. Arias introduced Chief Financial Officer Richard Stokes and Director of Marketing Doug Oakes and said she would call on them for their expertise later in the presentation.

Arias admitted the past year and a half have been an adventure. “It has been one that I was not anticipating but that I have embraced head on,” Arias said. She then said she wanted to share one thing right away - that GRMC now has a full-time oncologist, news she received earlier in the day.

Arias then thanked everyone for supporting the hospital through turbulent times. “We are still your hospital,” she said.

She then shared the mission, vision, and values of GRMC. Arias acknowledged that those words may just be buzzwords to some, but at GRMC they are the things that everyone strives for every day. In a nutshell, GRMC strives to be the best place to receive care, the best place to practice medicine, and the best place to work.

The business goal for GRMC is to be more than just a hospital. For the community and beyond, GRMC seeks to be a full health care system. Providing health care at this level means recruiting medical professionals and continuing to engage the community.

Arias also unveiled the new logo for the hospital. She said that given the opportunity to start afresh, the hospital needs a logo that will reflect where it is going, not the past. Arias explained that the new tagline, “care that comes from the heart,” means compassion, paired with technical skill, yields the quality care the community seeks.

Arias gave updates on key parts of the strategic plan: the emergency room has improved its fast tracking, the hospital will soon qualify to be a level 4 trauma center, the cardiopulmonary service has improved, the oncology service line is growing, and the clinic footprint is expanding.

Stokes then spoke about financial improvement. GRMC is reviewing everything from payment methodology to payor contracts to make sure the hospital is receiving services at the best rate, which ensures patients receive their care at the best cost. Critical updates to the business office, information tracking, and more specifically the registration and scheduling departments keep financial initiatives on track. Regarding registration, Stokes commented that GRMC is making a culture switch, making sure the patient feels welcome from the first moments they are at the hospital.

Stokes said GPO (Group Purchasing Organization) compliance has improved from 70% to 92%. This helps keep costs lower, and so does reviewing pharmacy costs. So far GRMC is showing a 30% reduction in prices overall.

Arias said now they just need to get the word out. She turned over the presentation to Oakes.
“We have a really talented medical staff here,” said Oakes. He aims to share what GRMC does well across all media. He played radio spots that emphasize technology and compassion.

Chamber of Commerce President Scott Terry proposed having a follow-up meeting early in 2019, which Arias agreed would be helpful. There will also be another state of the hospital meeting early in the new year to review changes and obstacles.

 

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.