By Daniel Connolly
After days of delay, the Regional Medical Center at Memphis has signed a contract with consulting company FTI Cambio, clearing the way for a revamped team to turn around the hospital, which is losing money and faces an uncertain future.
At the head of the leadership team is interim executive Claude Watts Jr., who had his first full day of work Thursday.
The 52-year-old roving hospital executive is fresh off a two- year assignment leading a group in Gary, Ind., on behalf of FTI Cambio. Before that, he played a similar role in Alameda County, Calif.
“I’m looking forward to meeting everyone and hitting the ground running,” Watts said.
Watts lives near Baltimore and plans to spend weekdays in Memphis and fly home on weekends to his wife and children.
Watts replaces another FTI Cambio employee, Sylvester Reeder, who served for several months as interim executive. The hospital has had several temporary executives since Dr. Bruce Steinhauer retired in late 2006.
Last year, The Med’s board sought to join a financially stable partner but couldn’t find one. This summer, the hospital’s board voted to expand FTI Cambio’s mandate and give it authority to reshape the hospital. The Med treats a disproportionate number of uninsured patients and is on track to lose $14.4 million this year if nothing changes.
Its fate matters because it runs the only trauma and burn centers in the region and cares for thousands of uninsured patients.
In the next 90 days, FTI Cambio and workers with the group will evaluate the clinical and financial performance of each of The Med’s services, from its outpatient clinics to its unit for sick babies.
The consultants have warned that some services may have to end. This week, Watts said it’s too early to predict which they might be.
“It’s a thorough assessment before we make any types of recommendations,” he said, adding that the hospital board would have to approve the changes.
Watts was supposed to start work on Sept. 1, but several days passed as the hospital leadership and the consultants haggled over final wording of the contract. The contract was finally signed Wednesday night, board chairman Gene Holcomb said. Watts started work the next morning.
A previously scheduled visit by a congressional delegation Friday underscored the pressure facing Watts and the FTI Cambio team.
Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, came to the hospital with U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis.
Alexander said he’s trying to secure $500,000 in federal funding for a partial renovation of the emergency room and to make it easier for federal money to compensate The Med for caring for uninsured patients from Arkansas and Mississippi.
“The Med is very much on my mind as I do my job,” Alexander said.
Flanked by aides and hospital staff, the members of Congress walked past patients on gurneys during a tour of The Med’s cramped emergency department.
As the tour continued, Watts introduced himself to members of the staff. He had been on the job less than 48 hours, and many of the The Med’s employees had never seen him.
– Daniel Connolly: 529-5296
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Claude Watts Jr.
Age: 52
Education: Bachelor’s in biology from Towson University in Maryland; Master’s in general administration from the University of Maryland with a focus on health care.
Family: Wife, Vicki Baloo-Watts, a judge on the circuit court of Maryland. Three children: Claudia, 20, Sean, 18, Vincent, 16.
Interests: Jazz music, golf
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Regional Medical Center at Memphis (http://www.the-med.org/)
FTI Cambio (http://www.ftihealthcare.com/web/)
Originally published by Daniel Connolly [email protected] .
(c) 2008 Commercial Appeal, The. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.
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