In 2007, when Fred Price arrived at Monroe Hospital in Bloomington, Ind., as chief nursing officer and vice president of patient services, the hospital was in trouble. Patient volume was down, and the hospital's merger request had just been denied. Hospital co-founder Kamal Tiwari, MD, had recently left, following the public revelation that he had been using the same syringes on multiple patients at Bloomington Surgery Center.
Mr. Price realized that for the hospital to succeed, it had to change — not just its strategic plan, but its reputation and its image. Following Mr. Price's arrival, changes started to occur. From 2007 to 2009, admissions climbed from 692 to 1,985, and emergency room visits doubled. Inpatient and outpatient procedures also rose, and the number of physicians on staff grew from 62 to 162.
Mr. Price credits these successes to a beefed-up physician staff that includes renowned neurosurgeons Souheil Haddad, MD, and Marshall Poor, MD. In a news release, he said the hospital has also been careful to focus on its key strengths, marketing its orthopedic program, general surgery and women's services.
"We've chosen to focus on our several core competencies," he said, adding that the hospital does not pretend to be just a smaller version of nearby Bloomington Hospital.
Mr. Price was named president and CEO of Monroe Hospital in March 2008. In a 2009 interview with Indiana Public Media, he talked about the hospital's efforts to reach out to rural populations.
He said building relationships between patients and providers is essential to preventing disease and unnecessary hospital visits in the community. "Before we see them in our emergency department or before their illness gets to a point where it gets out of control, that's what we want to avoid," he said.
Mr. Price earned his MBA in healthcare administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Read more on notable hospital leaders:
-Hospital Leader to Know: Richard Goldberg, President of Georgetown University Hospital
-Provena Saint Joesph Hospital Names President and CEO
Mr. Price realized that for the hospital to succeed, it had to change — not just its strategic plan, but its reputation and its image. Following Mr. Price's arrival, changes started to occur. From 2007 to 2009, admissions climbed from 692 to 1,985, and emergency room visits doubled. Inpatient and outpatient procedures also rose, and the number of physicians on staff grew from 62 to 162.
Mr. Price credits these successes to a beefed-up physician staff that includes renowned neurosurgeons Souheil Haddad, MD, and Marshall Poor, MD. In a news release, he said the hospital has also been careful to focus on its key strengths, marketing its orthopedic program, general surgery and women's services.
"We've chosen to focus on our several core competencies," he said, adding that the hospital does not pretend to be just a smaller version of nearby Bloomington Hospital.
Mr. Price was named president and CEO of Monroe Hospital in March 2008. In a 2009 interview with Indiana Public Media, he talked about the hospital's efforts to reach out to rural populations.
He said building relationships between patients and providers is essential to preventing disease and unnecessary hospital visits in the community. "Before we see them in our emergency department or before their illness gets to a point where it gets out of control, that's what we want to avoid," he said.
Mr. Price earned his MBA in healthcare administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Read more on notable hospital leaders:
-Hospital Leader to Know: Richard Goldberg, President of Georgetown University Hospital
-Provena Saint Joesph Hospital Names President and CEO