CEO Faces Tall Order at Decatur General
By Deangelo McDaniel, The Decatur Daily, Ala.
Aug. 6–Dean Griffin is a tall man with a tall order.
As Decatur General Hospital’s new president and chief executive officer, the Birmingham native has accepted the challenge of changing the hospital’s financial fortunes.
The hospital lost more than $8 million in fiscal 2008, which ended June 30.
It was the largest loss in the hospital’s more than 90-year history.
Griffin, 51, says he is confident the hospital will survive and continue to provide the services that have made Decatur General a staple in the community.
It won’t be easy, he said, adding that nothing today is easy in the health-care market.
Declining reimbursements and uncompensated care are the two largest contributors to the hospital’s loss.
Griffin can do little about reimbursements. As for bad debt, the new president said the hospital is already more diligent in billing and collections.
“We have to succeed because this hospital is too important to the community,” he said. “Let me put it another way. We will succeed because the community needs us.”
With more than 1,100 employees, Decatur General is one of the largest employers in the River City.
During a span of two weeks and in more than 20 meetings, Griffin met with every employee and shared the unfortunate news that Decatur General would not fund employee pension plans for the first time since the profit-sharing program started in 1977.
It wasn’t easy, but he learned from the meetings that the employees, doctors and volunteers were as committed as he is to turning the hospital around.
‘Tremendous’ support
“We gave them a lot of information and talked about some of our plans for the future,” he said. “My message to them was that it was going to take everyone, including the community. The support was tremendous and the responses were very positive.”
His wife, Lawanna, is from Athens and his daughter was born in Decatur General.
He graduated from The University of Alabama in 1979 with a degree in commerce and business administration.
Griffin said his love for the medical field developed at the Capstone. He worked two years for a wood company before accepting a job at the Lurleen B. Wallace Developmental Center on U.S. 31.
Between 1987 and 1996, he worked in human resources and as assistant director at Southeast Alabama Medical Center, a 400-bed hospital in Dothan. He got his master’s degree from Troy State University in 1992.
He was chief operating officer at Palmyra Medical Center in Albany, Ga., a 248-bed facility, from 1996-2000.
Between 2000 and 2004, Griffin was chief executive officer of Baptist Golden Triangle Hospital in Columbus, Miss.
In 2004 he returned to the Decatur area as chief operating officer at Decatur General.
After James Hahn’s resignation as chief executive officer July 11, the board named Griffin interim chief executive officer. He became the permanent chief executive officer July 31.
Griffin said his main objective is to improve the financial performance at the hospital.
Of the approximately $262 million in gross charges last year, about $30 million was charity or bad debt.
Griffin said part of the hospital’s mission is to provide charity care.
“These are people who just can’t afford to pay,” he said.
Griffin said bad debt is from people who can pay, but don’t.
He has not worked out all the details, but Griffin said he will develop a plan to lower the hospital’s annual debt.
“We’re going to look at everything we are doing to make sure we are performing,” Griffin said. “I’m confident Decatur General can turn this ship around.”
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Copyright (c) 2008, The Decatur Daily, Ala.
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