Category Archive

This week we’re having a conversation with Austin Gillard, CEO of Clay County Medical Center, in Clay Center, Kansas.  Austin is a Kansas native having grown up in Overland Park, Kansas. He received a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Kansas and a Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration from the University of Missouri. “I was still green, but the good thing is I had over 20 mentors helping me launch … Read More

This week we’re having a conversation with John Henderson.  John has been the CEO at Childress Regional Medical Center, his hometown hospital in Childress, Texas, for 16 years.  Soon he will be moving to Austin, Texas, to serve as the President & CEO or the Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals, otherwise known as TORCH.  TORCH is an advocate for … Read More

This week we’re having a conversation with Evalyn Ormand, CEO at Union General Hospital in Farmerville, LA.  Farmerville is in the northeast part of Louisiana, about 25 miles from the Arkansas border.  This year marks Evalyn’s 40th year in healthcare administration.  During those 40 years, she has served two rural hospitals, approximately 20 miles apart. “Don’t swallow a camel and gag on a gnat.”  The first hospital she … Read More

This week we’re having a conversation with Dr. Burke Kline, CEO of Greeley County Health Services in Tribune, Kansas.  Tribune is a town with a population of 750 in a county with a population of 1,200, one of the least populated counties in the state of Kansas, located on the Kansas/Colorado border. “Verbal judo is a practice that’s taught to law enforcement. It’s … Read More

This week we’re having a conversation with Corie Kaiser, the Director of the Oklahoma Office of Rural Health.  Corie joined the Office of Rural Health in 2005.  Since that time, she has maintained the office’s community engagement programs as well as coordinated and maintained quality and performance improvement and financial programs to assist critical access hospitals. “We had three critical access hospitals convert to critical access … Read More

This week we’re having a conversation with Joanna Hiatt Kim, Vice President of Payment Policy, with the America Hospital Association (AHA).  Joanna leads the association’s work on Medicare payment, including for inpatient and outpatient hospital care, post-acute care, and physician services.  “That is really where leadership comes into play and where the rubber meets the road to make these strategies work.”  Joanna came to the AHA … Read More

This week we’re having a conversation with Mark Deutchman, M.D., a Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.  Dr. Deutchman has been involved in rural medical practice or teaching for over 35 years. He also has faculty appointments in the School of Dental Medicine and the School of Public Health.   He practiced Family Medicine in rural, southwestern … Read More

This week we’re having a conversation with Ryan Neville, President and CEO at Memorial Medical Center in Neillsville, WI.  Ryan was hired as President and CEO of Memorial Medical Center in 2014. “Becoming part of an ACO has had an impact on how we think about patient care for all our patients, not just our Medicare population.”  A native of Youngstown, Ohio, Ryan holds a Bachelor’s of Science Degree … Read More

This week we’re having a conversation with Dr. Jim Turner, a family medicine doctor at the Cork Medical Center in Marshall, Illinois.  Dr. Turner and his wife are both third-generation residents of Marshall, a town of about 4,000 on the Illinois/Indiana border.  Dr. Turner grew up 2 blocks from where his office is today.  He is actively involved in his community and healthcare in a variety … Read More

This week we’re having a conversation with John Gale, M.S., Senior Research Associate with the Maine Rural Health Research Center at the University of Southern Maine. John has conducted extensive research on rural substance use and behavioral health services, the role of hospitals in addressing population and community health issues, and the development of substance use treatment, prevention, and recovery programs. “Our communities are … Read More