The acting CEO and acting CFO of El Centro (Calif.) Regional Medical Center have resigned from their positions after the hospital's board accepted a termination notice from its management company.
The hospital was being managed by the Nashville, Tenn.-based consulting firm Healthcare Management Partners, the Imperial Valley Press reported Jan. 20. One of the firm's managing directors, Scott Phillips, was acting as the hospital's CEO; another managing director, Derek Pierce, was its acting CFO. Both were installed by the city of El Centro on Nov. 16.
Healthcare Management Partners tendered a termination notice to the hospital's board of trustees on Jan. 14, effective Jan. 29, according to a news release from the hospital obtained by The Desert Review. The reason for the termination notice was not specified, although the release said a press conference was in the works.
The release specified that the hospital and its outpatient clinics would remain open and operate as usual, according to the Review.
El Centro Regional Medical Center has been struggling financially, which is why the consulting firm was hired in the first place, the Calexico Chronicle reported Nov. 16. When the new leadership took over, the hospital was about to transition to an electronic medical record system after improvements lagged during the pandemic.
On Jan. 9, the hospital cut its maternal and child health inpatient services — a decision physicians resisted, fearing negative effects to the community.
El Centro Regional Medical Center is an affiliate of UC San Diego Health, according to its website. Becker's has reached out to the hospital and health system for comment.