Schneck Medical Center has a lot to be proud of early this year.
During a hospital board meeting Monday night, three honors were announced.
Board President Rick Smith said President and Chief Executive Officer Warren Forgey has been named one of the 60 Rural Hospital CEOs to Know by Becker’s Hospital Review, a national publisher of health care industry news.
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This is Forgey’s fifth consecutive year to be named to the list, which features leaders dedicated to advancing health care in small towns and rural communities.
As a Rural Hospital CEO to Know, Forgey is recognized for his leadership and dedication to providing high-quality, accessible care to the community.
He has been instrumental in advancing patient-focused care at Schneck, including leading its most recent expansion and renovation project highlighted by a five-story medical office building and attached parking garage.
He also has achieved significant improvements in operations, accomplishing cost efficiency while increasing patient satisfaction. Under his leadership, Schneck has earned a debt rating of A from Standard and Poor’s and a rating of AA- from Fitch Ratings.
The Becker’s editorial team selected leaders through a review process where a number of factors were considered, including awards received; local, regional and national leadership positions held; and the organization’s performance.
Individuals on the list include CEOs and administrators of hospitals located outside of major metropolitan areas or health care hubs.
The CEOs feature elite hospitals consistently recognized by the National Rural Health Association, American Hospital Association and IBM Watson Health as top institutions, Smith said.
“Others sit on the local chamber of commerce boards and serve state hospital organizations. Almost all have presided over expansion and strategic change within their organization,” Smith said. “With that, Warren, congratulations. It’s well deserved.”
Also during the meeting, Kathy Covert, vice president of workforce and organizational development, said she received word that Schneck was named Large Business of the Year during the Scott County Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner Monday night at Mid-America Science Park in Scottsburg.
Schneck Family Care and Schneck Specialty Associates operate in Scottsburg.
During the presentation, it was noted that in the last 100 years, Schneck has evolved from a 17-bed hospital to one of the most respected health institutions in the nation. Also, the staff of more than 1,000 employees, 125 volunteers and nearly 200 physicians serves residents of Jackson, Jennings, Scott and Washington counties.
“Very proud of that and very glad that the citizens and the chamber feel like we’re making a positive impact in Scott County,” Covert said.
Finally, Susan Zabor, vice president of clinical services and chief quality officer, said Schneck once again received a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
In January, the organization updated the overall hospital quality star ratings at Hospital Compare and data.medicare.gov as part of the quarterly refresh of the website’s data.
Zabor said the 1-5 star rating is an easy way for consumers to gauge quality of the institution they are choosing. The ratings are based on 57 quality measures across seven categories: Effectiveness of care, efficient use of medical imaging, mortality, patient experience, readmissions, safety of care and timeliness of care.
She said Schneck is one of 407 hospitals in the nation and 11 in Indiana to receive five stars.
The others in Indiana are Eskenazi Health (Indianapolis), Franciscan Health Mooresville, IU Health North Hospital (Carmel), IU Health West Hospital (Avon), King’s Daughters’ Health (Madison), Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center (Jasper), St. Catherine Hospital (East Chicago), St. Vincent Carmel Hospital, St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana (Indianapolis) and The Women’s Hospital (Newburgh).
Zabor said since the ratings were pushed out in 2015 and the first report came out in 2016, Schneck has never been below five stars.
“We had one time when we were ranked as a four star, but it was not publicly released because they were messing with the methodology of it, so we have remained a five star since the inception of the hospital star rating program, so very proud of that,” Zabor said.
“Congratulations and thanks for sharing,” Smith said.