Selected Podcast
The Future of Bath Community Hospital
Jeff Lingerfelt, MBA discusses his vision for the hospital and unique challenges being the last stand-alone or privately owned critical care access hospital in Virginia in the rural community of Bath County.
Featuring:
His extensive knowledge of critical access hospital operations and rural health clinics will be among the many assets he brings to our facility. Jeffrey was born and raised in North Carolina and had a Bachelor’s Degree in History and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis on Healthcare.
He is the recipient of numerous awards, including Outstanding Rural Healthcare Professional of the Year, Pinnacle Quality Insight’s Customer Experience Award, and selected twice as “Top 50 Critical Hospital CEO’s to know.”
Jeff Lingerfelt, MBA
Jeff comes to Bath Community Hospital with 25+ years of experience as a healthcare leader.His extensive knowledge of critical access hospital operations and rural health clinics will be among the many assets he brings to our facility. Jeffrey was born and raised in North Carolina and had a Bachelor’s Degree in History and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis on Healthcare.
He is the recipient of numerous awards, including Outstanding Rural Healthcare Professional of the Year, Pinnacle Quality Insight’s Customer Experience Award, and selected twice as “Top 50 Critical Hospital CEO’s to know.”
Transcription:
Prakash Chandran: Having a local hospital that is high quality, safe, compassionate, and affordable is important for the health of our community. Luckily, Bath Community Hospital has all of these qualities and is focused on improving itself so it can serve Bath County even more effectively. Let's talk about it with Jeff Lingerfelt, the Chief Executive Officer for Bath Community Hospital. Jeff comes to us with over 25 years of experience as a healthcare leader and has extensive knowledge of critical access hospital operations and rural health clinics will be among the many assets he brings to our facility.
This is Your Health Is Our Passion, of Bath Community Hospital podcast. My name is Prakash Chandran. So first of all, Jeff, it's great to have you here today. I know the pandemic has brought a lot of changes and challenges for many of us, but I was hoping we could open by you sharing some of the challenges the hospital is seeing due to the current financial state.
Jeff Lingerfelt: You know, I think the COVID pandemic has created challenges for every hospital regardless of size and certainly, Bath is no exception. Although our community has been spared from significant numbers of COVID cases, it certainly has impacted our business.
And it's interesting in a pandemic, you would think hospitals would be crazy busy. However, we've seen a drop especially in the initial stages of the pandemic in our ER volumes, in our acute inpatient volumes and our clinic volumes. So people were staying away, putting off surgeries and ultimately that's not a good long-term solution. We are beginning to climb out of that hole, if you will, but that's created certainly financial challenges for Bath Community Hospital.
Prakash Chandran: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And so, you know, one of the efforts that you're going through right now is really just communicating with the public, that it is in fact safe to come into the hospital and get the potentially delayed treatment that they had been putting off during COVID. Is that correct?
Jeff Lingerfelt: That's correct. And it's just kind of reassuring the public that we have your back, and we've got this thing under control and we just encourage you to not delay needed healthcare.
Prakash Chandran: Okay. So just moving back to the hospital itself, why is it so important to have a hospital like this in a small rural community like Bath County?
Jeff Lingerfelt: Well, I think everyone deserves quality healthcare regardless of where you live or choose to live. And I was just reading actually before the call about a system in West Virginia that closed because of financial concerns and how that community now was greatly underserved. And people were having drive great distances to get really basic care, which is unfortunate and oftentimes it can be catastrophic.
Prakash Chandran: Yeah, that is really unfortunate. But I know that there's a lot that's currently in the works so Bath Community Hospital doesn't suffer that same fate. One of those things that I know you're working on is making sure that the hospital appeals to a broader demographic. You know, traditionally, it's been elderly people that come to the hospital. So what plans do you have to appeal to that younger generation?
Jeff Lingerfelt: Well, we certainly are doing some things to try to attract that market. And part of that is what we do from a digital perspective. We're in the process actually of upgrading or refreshing our webpage. We are also really exploring opportunities with telehealth. I know for many people of an older generation, they like to see the same physician that they've seen for years. But with a younger generation, it's like, "Just take care of my problem."
So, we're seeing a significant growth in telehealth in trying to cater some services, same-day service for a physicians visit. You don't need to call and schedule a visit two weeks out. Just stop by and we'll have a provider see you.
So those are some of the things we're trying to do to really address the changing demographic between an elderly population, which we do have that here, but we also have a younger people who they want care when they want care and they're not so tied to a single provider.
Prakash Chandran: Absolutely. And I guess this is related to telehealth, but, you know, I think one of the benefits that I've heard before is that with the ability to connect with your provider remotely, you're able to assess whether you actually need to come into the hospital or not. So it actually helps both parties. Is That something that's correct?
Jeff Lingerfelt: That is absolutely correct. And we're seeing that and where we've really seen phenomenal growth is on the behavioral health side. And I think that has to do with, especially in a small community, people like the fact that they can stay in their home and have a conversation with a behavioral health specialist as opposed to coming into a clinic and announcing that they're there to see a behavioral health specialist.
Prakash Chandran: Absolutely. And so, you know, one of the things that I want to expand upon is talking about the small community that we're in. You know, I'm curious as to if there is any community outreach programs plan that will give the hospital and the community a chance to just get closer and get to know each other a little bit better?
Jeff Lingerfelt: Sure. We actually just conducted some high school physicals this past week, sports physicals. And we are currently recruiting an orthopedic surgeon, because you mentioned the senior population, those are knees and hips and shoulders that get worn out and need to be replaced. So we're really trying to address the needs of a community because currently anyone who needs orthopedic surgery is having to leave our community. And we want to bring that service to Bath Community Hospital.
Prakash Chandran: Yeah. Speaking to those types of services, I'm wondering if the hospital is planning on having specialty services or providers that will be accessible to the community.
Jeff Lingerfelt: Yes. And we already have some, but we are looking to expand that. We have cardiology and pulmonology that come to Bath Community Hospital. But what we're finding is that those individuals have let us know that they could probably see more patients. They would be willing to come here on a more frequent basis to meet the needs of the community. So my plan for success would be what can we do to keep our community local and not having to drive? Because we are in a mountainous area that gets inclement weather in the winter and that's not safe. So anything that we can do to keep healthcare services local, we're certainly focusing on.
Prakash Chandran: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Are there any other unique services that the community can expect to see in the future?
Jeff Lingerfelt: Certainly know that all our podiatry services are going outside of our service area and we're working to try fill that void. However, I've got to tell you there's a shortage of podiatrist and so I can't make any promises on that. But we constantly are looking at the data that says where are our community going to get services and what type of services are they receiving, and could we provide those services here?
Prakash Chandran: Yeah. And related to that, one of the things that I wanted to address is sometimes there is a stigma that when a hospital is small or part of a smaller community, that it means that the quality of care isn't as good, which isn't necessarily true. So what are the goals as far as clinical quality is concerned when compared to national benchmarks?
Jeff Lingerfelt: Sure. There's three areas of focus that we have with any patient who comes in here. Quality is number one. The patient experience is number two and the cost. And we probably struggle on the cost side because we have low volume. As I've told some folks in the community, our CT machine costs as much as one at a larger hospital. But we just don't have as many people go through it, so the cost per procedure is going to be greater.
However, I think if we do a great job on the quality and the patient experience, you'll have people who would want to come back. Actually, I spoke with a patient yesterday who was leaving here, who had been at two different hospitals in the last six weeks, before he came to Bath. And he said, "I've got to tell you, the patient care and the quality I received here exceeded any of the other locations." And I think a lot of it has to do with the personalized service that you're able to offer in a small hospital.
Prakash Chandran: Absolutely. And one of the benefits of being in a smaller community is you get to form these longer lasting bonds with your healthcare provider. They're oftentimes people that see you throughout your lifetime. So that's one of the things that I personally love.
You know, just expanding on the community, just being more integrated, what can we do as the patient population to help during this time?
Jeff Lingerfelt: You know, I think just to come to us for services. And if there's an area where you feel like we could improve, certainly tell us. I just had a conversation earlier today with one of our therapists and we were discussing other therapy or types of therapy that we could provide that perhaps would enhance an already great therapy department.
So I think we need to hear that from the community. It's like, "I heard about this somewhere else. Can you all do it here?" And we're certainly open to growing because in, this climate, if you're not willing to adapt and change, you will not be around for a long time.
Prakash Chandran: Yes, that's absolutely true. And just something to mention, especially coming out of this world of a pandemic that we're living in, one thing that I think has become important, especially to me is being proactive about one's health and making sure that you schedule your annuals and the checkups when they are necessary just to give yourself some peace of mind and just to understand that your body is going to be ready for a fight should something happen. And obviously, doing that at your local community hospital helps the hospital and helps yourself. Wouldn't you say?
Jeff Lingerfelt: Oh, absolutely. And, you know, you're spot on. With this pandemic, we partnered with a local health department and, you know, provided the staff to give hundreds and hundreds of the vaccinations. And we started doing that in our local pharmacy and really are reaching out to the community to say, "We're here. The vaccine's available. And if you want it, we will certainly be here to provide it to you."
Prakash Chandran: Yeah. And I think a good phrase for it is peace of mind, just knowing that the hospital is there, it's involved in the community, it's trying to do things proactively to improve with technology and the specialty services to really keep things sustainable and going. So, Jeff, is there anything else that you would like the community to know before we sign off today?
Jeff Lingerfelt: As I think about that question, one thing comes to mind is actually one of our staff who is relatively new came to me and said, "I've been driving 65 miles to get my mammo. I had no idea we had a 3D mammo machine here, which is the latest technology." So I think, you know, shame on us, the call, I think, to leadership then is we need to really do a very good job of educating the community of all the services that we have here to offer.
Prakash Chandran: Absolutely. And to that end, where can people go to find out more about the services offered and what's coming up?
Jeff Lingerfelt: I would encourage them to go to our website, but I will ask them to delay that for two weeks because we're rolling out the new website within two weeks and it will be very comprehensive, but easy to navigate. So I think that's a great resource.
Prakash Chandran: All right, Jeff. Well, thank you so much for your time and telling us a little bit more about the future of Bath Community Hospital. That's Jeff Lingerfelt, the Chief Executive Officer for Bath Community Hospital.
For more information, call (540) 839-7000 or check out our website at bathhospital.org. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and be sure to check out the entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. Thanks for checking out this episode of Your Health Is Our Passion. My name is Prakash, and we'll talk next time.
Prakash Chandran: Having a local hospital that is high quality, safe, compassionate, and affordable is important for the health of our community. Luckily, Bath Community Hospital has all of these qualities and is focused on improving itself so it can serve Bath County even more effectively. Let's talk about it with Jeff Lingerfelt, the Chief Executive Officer for Bath Community Hospital. Jeff comes to us with over 25 years of experience as a healthcare leader and has extensive knowledge of critical access hospital operations and rural health clinics will be among the many assets he brings to our facility.
This is Your Health Is Our Passion, of Bath Community Hospital podcast. My name is Prakash Chandran. So first of all, Jeff, it's great to have you here today. I know the pandemic has brought a lot of changes and challenges for many of us, but I was hoping we could open by you sharing some of the challenges the hospital is seeing due to the current financial state.
Jeff Lingerfelt: You know, I think the COVID pandemic has created challenges for every hospital regardless of size and certainly, Bath is no exception. Although our community has been spared from significant numbers of COVID cases, it certainly has impacted our business.
And it's interesting in a pandemic, you would think hospitals would be crazy busy. However, we've seen a drop especially in the initial stages of the pandemic in our ER volumes, in our acute inpatient volumes and our clinic volumes. So people were staying away, putting off surgeries and ultimately that's not a good long-term solution. We are beginning to climb out of that hole, if you will, but that's created certainly financial challenges for Bath Community Hospital.
Prakash Chandran: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And so, you know, one of the efforts that you're going through right now is really just communicating with the public, that it is in fact safe to come into the hospital and get the potentially delayed treatment that they had been putting off during COVID. Is that correct?
Jeff Lingerfelt: That's correct. And it's just kind of reassuring the public that we have your back, and we've got this thing under control and we just encourage you to not delay needed healthcare.
Prakash Chandran: Okay. So just moving back to the hospital itself, why is it so important to have a hospital like this in a small rural community like Bath County?
Jeff Lingerfelt: Well, I think everyone deserves quality healthcare regardless of where you live or choose to live. And I was just reading actually before the call about a system in West Virginia that closed because of financial concerns and how that community now was greatly underserved. And people were having drive great distances to get really basic care, which is unfortunate and oftentimes it can be catastrophic.
Prakash Chandran: Yeah, that is really unfortunate. But I know that there's a lot that's currently in the works so Bath Community Hospital doesn't suffer that same fate. One of those things that I know you're working on is making sure that the hospital appeals to a broader demographic. You know, traditionally, it's been elderly people that come to the hospital. So what plans do you have to appeal to that younger generation?
Jeff Lingerfelt: Well, we certainly are doing some things to try to attract that market. And part of that is what we do from a digital perspective. We're in the process actually of upgrading or refreshing our webpage. We are also really exploring opportunities with telehealth. I know for many people of an older generation, they like to see the same physician that they've seen for years. But with a younger generation, it's like, "Just take care of my problem."
So, we're seeing a significant growth in telehealth in trying to cater some services, same-day service for a physicians visit. You don't need to call and schedule a visit two weeks out. Just stop by and we'll have a provider see you.
So those are some of the things we're trying to do to really address the changing demographic between an elderly population, which we do have that here, but we also have a younger people who they want care when they want care and they're not so tied to a single provider.
Prakash Chandran: Absolutely. And I guess this is related to telehealth, but, you know, I think one of the benefits that I've heard before is that with the ability to connect with your provider remotely, you're able to assess whether you actually need to come into the hospital or not. So it actually helps both parties. Is That something that's correct?
Jeff Lingerfelt: That is absolutely correct. And we're seeing that and where we've really seen phenomenal growth is on the behavioral health side. And I think that has to do with, especially in a small community, people like the fact that they can stay in their home and have a conversation with a behavioral health specialist as opposed to coming into a clinic and announcing that they're there to see a behavioral health specialist.
Prakash Chandran: Absolutely. And so, you know, one of the things that I want to expand upon is talking about the small community that we're in. You know, I'm curious as to if there is any community outreach programs plan that will give the hospital and the community a chance to just get closer and get to know each other a little bit better?
Jeff Lingerfelt: Sure. We actually just conducted some high school physicals this past week, sports physicals. And we are currently recruiting an orthopedic surgeon, because you mentioned the senior population, those are knees and hips and shoulders that get worn out and need to be replaced. So we're really trying to address the needs of a community because currently anyone who needs orthopedic surgery is having to leave our community. And we want to bring that service to Bath Community Hospital.
Prakash Chandran: Yeah. Speaking to those types of services, I'm wondering if the hospital is planning on having specialty services or providers that will be accessible to the community.
Jeff Lingerfelt: Yes. And we already have some, but we are looking to expand that. We have cardiology and pulmonology that come to Bath Community Hospital. But what we're finding is that those individuals have let us know that they could probably see more patients. They would be willing to come here on a more frequent basis to meet the needs of the community. So my plan for success would be what can we do to keep our community local and not having to drive? Because we are in a mountainous area that gets inclement weather in the winter and that's not safe. So anything that we can do to keep healthcare services local, we're certainly focusing on.
Prakash Chandran: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Are there any other unique services that the community can expect to see in the future?
Jeff Lingerfelt: Certainly know that all our podiatry services are going outside of our service area and we're working to try fill that void. However, I've got to tell you there's a shortage of podiatrist and so I can't make any promises on that. But we constantly are looking at the data that says where are our community going to get services and what type of services are they receiving, and could we provide those services here?
Prakash Chandran: Yeah. And related to that, one of the things that I wanted to address is sometimes there is a stigma that when a hospital is small or part of a smaller community, that it means that the quality of care isn't as good, which isn't necessarily true. So what are the goals as far as clinical quality is concerned when compared to national benchmarks?
Jeff Lingerfelt: Sure. There's three areas of focus that we have with any patient who comes in here. Quality is number one. The patient experience is number two and the cost. And we probably struggle on the cost side because we have low volume. As I've told some folks in the community, our CT machine costs as much as one at a larger hospital. But we just don't have as many people go through it, so the cost per procedure is going to be greater.
However, I think if we do a great job on the quality and the patient experience, you'll have people who would want to come back. Actually, I spoke with a patient yesterday who was leaving here, who had been at two different hospitals in the last six weeks, before he came to Bath. And he said, "I've got to tell you, the patient care and the quality I received here exceeded any of the other locations." And I think a lot of it has to do with the personalized service that you're able to offer in a small hospital.
Prakash Chandran: Absolutely. And one of the benefits of being in a smaller community is you get to form these longer lasting bonds with your healthcare provider. They're oftentimes people that see you throughout your lifetime. So that's one of the things that I personally love.
You know, just expanding on the community, just being more integrated, what can we do as the patient population to help during this time?
Jeff Lingerfelt: You know, I think just to come to us for services. And if there's an area where you feel like we could improve, certainly tell us. I just had a conversation earlier today with one of our therapists and we were discussing other therapy or types of therapy that we could provide that perhaps would enhance an already great therapy department.
So I think we need to hear that from the community. It's like, "I heard about this somewhere else. Can you all do it here?" And we're certainly open to growing because in, this climate, if you're not willing to adapt and change, you will not be around for a long time.
Prakash Chandran: Yes, that's absolutely true. And just something to mention, especially coming out of this world of a pandemic that we're living in, one thing that I think has become important, especially to me is being proactive about one's health and making sure that you schedule your annuals and the checkups when they are necessary just to give yourself some peace of mind and just to understand that your body is going to be ready for a fight should something happen. And obviously, doing that at your local community hospital helps the hospital and helps yourself. Wouldn't you say?
Jeff Lingerfelt: Oh, absolutely. And, you know, you're spot on. With this pandemic, we partnered with a local health department and, you know, provided the staff to give hundreds and hundreds of the vaccinations. And we started doing that in our local pharmacy and really are reaching out to the community to say, "We're here. The vaccine's available. And if you want it, we will certainly be here to provide it to you."
Prakash Chandran: Yeah. And I think a good phrase for it is peace of mind, just knowing that the hospital is there, it's involved in the community, it's trying to do things proactively to improve with technology and the specialty services to really keep things sustainable and going. So, Jeff, is there anything else that you would like the community to know before we sign off today?
Jeff Lingerfelt: As I think about that question, one thing comes to mind is actually one of our staff who is relatively new came to me and said, "I've been driving 65 miles to get my mammo. I had no idea we had a 3D mammo machine here, which is the latest technology." So I think, you know, shame on us, the call, I think, to leadership then is we need to really do a very good job of educating the community of all the services that we have here to offer.
Prakash Chandran: Absolutely. And to that end, where can people go to find out more about the services offered and what's coming up?
Jeff Lingerfelt: I would encourage them to go to our website, but I will ask them to delay that for two weeks because we're rolling out the new website within two weeks and it will be very comprehensive, but easy to navigate. So I think that's a great resource.
Prakash Chandran: All right, Jeff. Well, thank you so much for your time and telling us a little bit more about the future of Bath Community Hospital. That's Jeff Lingerfelt, the Chief Executive Officer for Bath Community Hospital.
For more information, call (540) 839-7000 or check out our website at bathhospital.org. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and be sure to check out the entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. Thanks for checking out this episode of Your Health Is Our Passion. My name is Prakash, and we'll talk next time.