Historically, rural areas have suffered a lack of access to quality healthcare. Members of rural communities may have to travel long distances, pay exorbitant costs, or face other barriers. Rural hospitals work hard to ease the burden on underserved communities, and CFOs are a crucial part of the equation.
Rural hospital CFOs maintain the financial health of their institutions, set strategic plans, secure funding, and keep costs affordable for patients.
Note: This list is not an endorsement of included CFOs, hospitals, health systems or associated healthcare providers. CFOs cannot pay for inclusion on this list. CFOs are presented in alphabetical order.
Contact Anna Falvey at afalvey@beckershealthcare.com with questions or comments.
Christine Asato. Regional CFO of Hawaii Health Systems Corporation-Kauai Region (Kauai, Hawaii). Ms. Asato, a financial healthcare management executive with over 21 years of experience, is responsible for revenue cycle, financial reporting, treasury management, financial analyses, and information technology for the Kauai region of Hawaii Health Systems Corporation. She also formulates and implements the financial strategies for the region. Before joining the Kauai region, Ms. Asato acted as the State of Hawaii's lead practice facilitator for the comprehensive primary care program and served as the director of internal audit and then the director of business intelligence at Hawaii Health Systems. As CFO, she is known for upholding high performance and ethical standards.
Rebecca Busch. CFO of Spooner (Wis.) Health. Ms. Busch leads financial operations for Spooner Health, a 25-bed critical access hospital. She also handles revenue cycle management, materials management, IT, HIPAA, compliance and dietary departments. Despite her own keen understanding of financial principles, she is also skilled at distilling complicated financial information into layman's terms that anyone can grasp.
David Butler. CFO of Ochsner Rush Health (Meridian, Miss.). Mr. Butler became CFO of the seven-hospital, 30-plus clinic Rush Health System in 2018. His responsibilities include providing leadership, direction and management for financial operations such as accounting, insurance and financial systems throughout the organization. Before joining Rush, Mr. Butler served as a partner with the HORNE LLP healthcare practice group for 17 years.
Jodie Criswell. CFO of Hammond Henry Hospital (Geneseo, Ill.). Ms. Criswell navigates complex tasks such as cost reports, managed care negotiations, EHRselection and more as CFO of Hammond Henry Hospital. Under her leadership, the hospital has achieved a four-star CMS patient experience, having transformed financial services, registration, scheduling and billing for patients and families. Prior to joining Hammond Henry in 2011, Ms. Criswell was CFO of Mercy County Hospital.
Ann Duffy. CFO of Cottage Hospital (Woodsville, N.H.). Ms. Duffy serves as CFO for Cottage Hospital, a 35-bed critical access hospital. She handles the financial health of both the hospital and its rural health clinic. She is adept at navigating the complexities involved with the financial oversight of a critical access hospital.
Scott Endsley. CFO of Fisher-Titus Medical Center (Norwalk, Ohio). Mr. Endsley serves as the CFO of Fisher-Titus Medical Center, where he ensures alignment with the organization's mission and vision while overseeing operational and capital planning, payer reimbursement strategies and fiscal operating reports. On a divisional level, Mr. Endsley sets the strategic plan, organizational structure, and operations for finance departments. Under his leadership, Fisher-Titus received the Syntellis MVP award for innovative use of financial analytic tools.
Christopher Frysztak. Chief Financial Officer at Western Arizona Regional Medical Center (Bullhead City). Mr. Frysztak has been with Western Arizona Regional Medical Center for four years, leading it out of an unstable financial period. Due to frequent leadership turnover, the community struggled to trust the medical organization. Mr. Frysztak has stabilized the financial department, making sure invoices are paid in a timely manner. He has also created a more positive culture for all employees at the center.
Mark Gross. Vice President and CFO of Hillsdale Hospital (Hillsdale, Mich.). Mr. Gross leads the Hillsdale Hospital's financial initiatives. His duties include overseeing budgets, managing contracts, leading fiscal services, directing revenue cycle and patient accounts, leading all accounting processes and providing financial analyses. Since joining the hospital in 2018, he has worked to streamline budget processes and create revenue cycle efficiencies. For instance, he oversaw the implementation of software that took the budgeting process from cumbersome and manual to easy and efficient. He also renegotiated payer contracts that secured better reimbursement rates with commercial insurance providers, which resulted in millions of dollars of added revenue. Having previously served as CFO at North Ottawa Community Health system in Grand Haven, Mich.and at South Haven Health System in South Haven, Mich., he has been able to utilize his extensive experience to advance Hillsdale Hospital's financial position.
Greg Jerger. CFO of Memorial Health Care Systems (Seward, Neb.). Mr. Jerger oversees all financial functions of the hospital and healthcare system, which includes the accounting team, hospital business office, compliance, budget, audit and tax filings. He ensures cost effectiveness, manages all financial risks and reports the financial status of the healthcare system to the CEO and board of directors. He has served in his role as CFO of Memorial Health Care Systems for over 30 years.
Greg Jones. CFO of Wayne Memorial Hospital (Jesup, Ga.). Mr. Jones has served as CFO of Wayne Memorial Hospital since 2007. During his tenure, the hospital has experienced a significant increase in net income, with a 2.5 times higher figure than the previous year, with patient revenue also rising by 20.1 percent. Additionally, Mr. Jones oversaw the successful opening of a new home healthcare division, Community Home Care, in six Georgia counties.
Catherine Keck. CFO at Decatur County Memorial (Greensburg, Ind.). Ms. Keck is responsible for finance leadership, accounting, revenue cycle, information technology and supply chain management for Decatur. She engages in professional organizations, pays attention to trends and implements best practices for the system. She has over 30 years of experience in health finance, and specializes in the reporting and auditing process.
Lynn Krutak. CFO of Ballad Health (Johnson City, Tenn). Ms. Krutak serves as CFO for Ballad Health, a comprehensive community health improvement organization. As a key player in the merger of Wellmont Health System and Mountain States Health Alliance, Ms. Krutakwas instrumental in the creation of the organization. Ms. Krutak's achievements include effective cost-cutting measures in a challenging payer mix and low-wage index environment and the successful consolidation and refinancing of both legacy health systems' debts. She has extensive financial leadership experience, having previously served as CFO of Johnson City Specialty Hospital, Blue Ridge Medical Management and Mountain States Health Alliance.
Travis Lakey. CFO at Mayers Memorial Healthcare District (Fall River Mills, Calif.). Mr. Lakey is responsible for all financial operations at Mayers Memorial, managing financial risks, records and finance planning. He supervises the billing, finance and admissions departments, and is the chief financial spokesperson for the organization. In his 13 years with the system, he has worked with management to reduce spending, increase charge capture, renegotiate contracts and handle outstanding debts. He led the organization from the brink of bankruptcy to financially stable in five years. He also increased the system's assets and cash-on-hand.
Deborah Mann. Vice President of Finance and CFO of Schneck Medical Center (Seymour, Ind.). Ms. Mann serves as vice president and CFO at Schneck Medical Center, a healthcare center that offers services including maternity, orthopedics, rehabilitation, neurology, women's health, surgery and more. She jump-started her career at Schneck as a staff accountant in 1994 and has worked her way through the ranks. She served as director of accounting and controller before her promotion to vice president of Fiscal Services at the hospital. She is also a certified public accountant.
Andi McWhorter. CFO of Irwin County Hospital (Ocila, Ga.). As the CFO of Irwin County Hospital, Ms. McWhorter acts as patient, clinician and advocate all in one. She works hard to ensure that the hospital remains stable and sustainable. In 2022, the hospital was awarded a grant from the Georgia Department of Community Health as part of its yearly Rural Hospital Stabilization Grant program.
Sam Muse. Chief Financial Officer at Bartlett Regional Hospital (Juneau, Alaska). Mr. Muse is the principal advisor regarding all financial matters for Bartlett, including planning, developing, implementing, and administering financial control, analysis, operating systems, internal control and establishing policies for the organization and its affiliates. He oversees an operating budget of $150 million and three budget-related positions and six director-level positions. He created a three-phase action plan to help the system deal with challenges caused by COVID-19. The plan is expected to help the system begin the July 1 fiscal year without a deficit, saving the hospital $12 million annually.
Kaley Neal. CFO of Shenandoah Medical Center (Shenandoah, Iowa). Since 2017, Ms. Neal has directed the financial activities for Shenandoah Medical Center, a critical access hospital that includes three rural health clinics, a co-owned ambulance service with the city of Shenandoah, and a philanthropic foundation. Each year, the medical center generates almost $50 million in net operating revenue. Throughout her tenure, Ms. Neal has orchestrated the growth and expansion of the medical center, shaping it into one of Iowa's strongest operating facilities. She helped complete a $25 million facility expansion that added a medical office building, surgery center and emergency department, and also oversaw the financing of a $13 million cancer center. Her leadership has helped to overhaul the medical center's revenue cycle and has transformed it from pain point to strong suit. Ms. Neal is also a member of Clarinda City Council in Clarinda, Iowa, and serves as a board member of Iowa's Healthcare Financial Management Association.
Mark Nellis. CFO for the West Hawaii Region at Hawaii Health Systems/Kona Community Hospital (Honolulu). Mr. Nellis builds budgets for multiple departments and oversees operations on the west side of Hawaii island. He works with all system departments to ensure staffing needs, equipment needs and patient safety goals are met. He helped the system receive $20 million in funding from the state government to make critical facility improvements.
Jay Noyes. CFO of Castleview Hospital (Price, Utah). After 15 years with Castleview Hospital, Mr. Noyes stepped into his role as CFO of the organization at the end of October 2022. Previously, he acted as financial controller and ethics and compliance officer. In these roles, he oversaw the 39-bed facility's daily financials and managed the financials for the 2015 emergency room and intensive care unit expansion, as well as the 2017 urgent care and retail pharmacy build. Castleview Hospital provides inpatient and outpatient services ranging from emergency care to surgery to labor and delivery, among others. Mr. Noyes aims to build on the hospital's strong existing foundation and ultimately improve the well-being of the community.
Melissa Packer. CFO Wilson Medical Center (Brentwood, Tenn.). Ms. Packer serves as CFO and ethics and compliance offer for Wilson Medical Center. In addition to overseeing financial operations and strategic planning, Ms. Packer has been recognized by staff as a compassionate and supportive team leader.
Cheryl Perry. CFO at McAlester (Okla.) Regional Health Center. Ms. Perry oversees everything finance related for McAlester, including accounting, patient financial services, patient access, revenue cycle and medical records. She is a strong advocate for financial education, ensuring that leaders understand finances and how they impact organizational decisions.
Megan Rath. CFO of South Central Health (Wishek, N.D.). Ms. Rath's duties as CFO of South Central Health include managing budgets, establishing policy, financial decision-making, controlling margins and debt, and making decisions about hospital assets and resources. She also develops and implements financial strategies to improve the hospital's business performance. Ms. Rath's hard work and dedication played a vital role in bringing the organization from the brink of closure to its current state of financial stability.
Colleen Reid. CFO of Carson Valley Health (Gardnerville, Nev.). Ms. Reid brings over 20 years of expertise in finance and operations to Carson Valley Health as CFO. In her role, Ms. Reid prioritizes the well-being of employees and patients, as well as fosters strategic partnerships with operational teams and implements innovative approaches to optimize reimbursement processes and improve data reporting accuracy. Under her leadership, Carson Valley issued bond financing for a 44,000 square foot expansion, enabling the provision of accessible and quality care to rural communities. Prior to joining Carson Valley in 2018, Ms. Reid was the controller at UC Benioff Children's Hospital for 11 years.
LuCinda Rider. CFO of UHS Delaware Valley Hospital (Walton, N.Y.). Ms. Rider is responsible for the financial operations for UHS Delaware Valley Hospital, a progressive critical access hospital in upstate New York. For 10 consecutive years, she has led the hospital to a positive bottom line. She has also implemented a strategic investment and cost containment plan that resulted in over 250 of cash on hand. Outside of her role as CFO, Ms. Rider acts as the UHS Delaware Valley Hospital compliance officer and as a board chair for UHS Employee Federal Credit Union. Prior to becoming CFO, she was controller for UHS Delaware Valley Hospital.
Derek Schaff. CFO of Linton Regional Medical Center (Linton, N.D.). As CFO, Mr. Scaff oversees multiple departments including IT, health information management and the business office at Linton Regional Medical center. Under his guidance, denials have plummeted from over 20 percent to less than 5 percent, while bill processing has improved in both speed and accuracy, resulting in increased cash on hand and cash flow. Mr. Schaff's implementation of enhanced internal controls has eliminated deficiencies, and his strategic analysis of service agreements has maximized the facility's compensation.
Stacy Taylor. CFO at Nemaha County Hospital (Auburn, Neb.). Ms. Taylor stepped into the CFO role 16 years ago, assuming all financial and business office responsibilities. She provides monthly financial statistics to the board of directors and focuses on adaptability to handle immediate system needs. Ms. Taylor helped the system to go paperless, shifting records to a new EHR. She is also focused on creating a positive workplace culture, leading "core action values" trainings and implementing a "your ideas matter" system for hospital employees to submit feedback.
Nick Townsend. CFO of Union General Health System (Blairsville, Ga.). Mr. Townsend is responsible for the overall financial strategy and management of Union General Health System. The system consists of two rural hospitals and several specialty clinics. Mr. Townsend has implemented growth strategies to increase net assets and recruit more physicians. Under his leadership, the health system has seen 10 percent growth year over year for the past seven years.
Ashley Votruba. CFO at Sweetwater (Tenn.) Hospital Association. Ms. Votruba is responsible for the day-to-day financial operations and the financial growth of Sweetwater. She oversees $50 million in gross revenues, helping the system to grow and prosper. She also oversees the hospital's billing and IT departments. She is a continuing presence in the documentation system, upgrading computer program tools for easier nurse documentation and supply charges.
Mark Woolery. CFO of Mee Memorial Healthcare System (King City, Calif.). As CFO, Mr. Woolery owns finance and financial strategy at Mee Memorial Healthcare System. His thorough knowledge of rural healthcare has significantly contributed to the financial turnaround of the organization and the wellbeing of the communities it serves. Thanks to his guidance, the system was awarded the "King City Business of Year Award" by the King City Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture in 2021.