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.