Bernard Wheatley, DBA, FACHE, is retiring as CEO of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands-based Schneider Regional Medical Center, effective Jan. 30.
Dr. Wheatley has helmed the organization since 2013.
Under his leadership, Schneider Regional navigated through Category 5 hurricanes Irma and Maria, both in September 2017.
The healthcare system, which consists of three U.S. Virgin Islands facilities, also had financial success during his tenure.
Schneider Regional had an $8 million shortfall before the two hurricanes hit, but the hospital is now $5 million in the black, the Virgin Islands Source reports.
"We ratcheted down on collections and billing cycles while aggressively pursuing $6.4 million in retro claims," Dr. Wheatley told the newspaper of the turnaround. "You have to do your due diligence."
Dr. Wheatley started his healthcare career as a radiology technologist. He was vice president of operations at Athens (Ga.) Regional Medical Center for 18 years before joining Schneider Regional.
Read the full Virgin Islands Source story here.