Forgey Talks Future Plans for Stephens County Hospital

The Stephens County Hospital newly appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer Roger Forgey, recently sat down with WNEG News Director Ethan Jordan to discuss the many viable options that the hospital can choose from in order to stay afloat.

The Hospital Authority retained Forgey in August to serve as turnaround consultant and assist the hospital management team in identifying and executing the performance improvement plan it began implementing in late 2016.

Mark Wilkinson, Hospital Authority Chairman, tells WNEG News the hospital leadership and the Hospital Authority are working in tandem to aggressively pursue financial turnaround initiatives.

Wilkinson said the hospital has been confronted with declining market share and decreasing inpatient, surgery and emergency department volumes over the past several years.

Forgey also discussed subtle changes that could impact the hospital’s bottom line.

One of the changes Forgey has recommended the hospital consider is updating the charge master, saying this could increase revenue by $1 million.

Another option that Forgey recommended was for the hospital to look at contracts.

Over the past two fiscal years, Stephens County Hospital lost over nine million dollars in revenue.

The hospital’s new fiscal year began October 1 and Wilkinson said they are hopeful that under Forgey’s leadership and the new initiatives that have been put in place, the hospital’s bottom line will show substantial improvement.

Forgey is confident in his ability to help guide the hospital towards success.

Forgey was named interim CEO after former CEO, Lynne Anderson’s resignation earlier this month; however, he will serve as CEO for no longer than a year.