Barton’s new CEO to focus on prevention over ‘sick care’, along with challenges of ACA
By Kathryn Reed
One of the biggest differences between the incoming CEO at Barton Health and the outgoing leader is actual medical experience.
Clint Purvance, who takes over the top job Nov. 1, is a doctor by training. John Williams, who will depart after the first of the year, is a businessman. Williams, 70, has had the job since November 2006.
Clint Purvance
“As a CEO with a physician background, I understand the importance of the doctor-patient relationship and the value of being a partner in my patient’s journey to better health,” Purvance told Lake Tahoe News. “I will continue to focus on the doctor-patient relationship with the goal that all our providers not only offer high-quality medical care but thoughtful and compassionate care as well. I envision my role to lead our outstanding team of staff and physicians in partnership with the community to improve our population’s overall health and wellness.”
Purvance, 45, has spent his entire career at Barton, having started in 1999. He attended the University of Nevada School of Medicine in Reno and completed his emergency medicine residency training at University of Michigan. For the past eight years he has been chief medical officer for Barton Health.
“The chief executive officer’s primary role is to provide thoughtful oversight and guidance for the entire organization. As the chief medical officer, I focused on the delivery and quality of patient care. This ranged from expanding medical services to meet our community’s needs to improving quality and safety standards,” Purvance said. “In my new role as the CEO, I will have the greater responsibility of considering and interacting with all facets of the organization. I will work closely with the board, staff, and physicians as we strive to deliver safe, high quality care to our patients. I will also work in partnership with the community to improve overall health and wellness.”
His goal is to put a greater emphasis on wellness and injury prevention in order to improve the health of the community as a whole.
“The Affordable Care Act continues to bring changes to our health care system and other systems across the nation. In particular, we are seeing increases in regulatory demands and reductions in reimbursements, which continue to be reduced each year, and still need to provide high quality and compassionate care,” Purvance said. “The desire to decrease costs, provide timely and appropriate care, and give a high quality experience for our patients is a balancing act. Our nation’s ‘sick care’ model where we treat patients at the time of illness or injury is fading as we shift our focus to wellness and prevention and making sure our patients receive the appropriate level of expertise with the appropriate level of care they need. This new model continues to evolve, which can be challenging and unpredictable.”
He was instrumental in getting the hospital to be a level three trauma center. He said the designation has allowed for expanded emergency care locally, which was lacking in such a remote location.
Purvance will be in charge of 900 full- and part-time employees, as well as being tasked with working closely with approximately 160 medical and allied providers.
The patient count at the hospital has been declining through the years. In 2005, the count was 86, in 2006 it was 60 and now it is 20. Officials said at times it reaches 40 patients per day. Net revenues for Barton Health are about $150 million.
Barton Health would not release Purvance’s salary and benefits package. Barton’s 2013 tax return, the last available, shows him making $391,481 a year and Williams earning $465,121. Those figures do not include benefits.
The goal is to fill the chief medical officer position by the end of the year. Purvance said he would be looking for someone with a “background in clinical excellence and a passion for providing exceptional care to our diverse patient population.”
Purvance will be responsible for both jobs starting Nov. 1. Williams is staying on board a few months to help with the transition.
The Barton board conducted a nationwide search for the CEO job. The recruiting team included staff, physicians and board members. Six people were interviewed. Purvance and another finalist met with a broader panel of staff, physicians and the board of directors.
It is difficult to understand the economics at Barton…..If it averages under 40 patients per day, and was at 60 in 2006, what do all the additions and upgrades mean?
I was laboring under the belief that Barton was a non profit, but now the article quotes a NET revenue of $150,000,000. This means profit. Over $400,000 PER DAY.
Where do these profits go?
Can someone from Barton explain how this works.
I continue to hear (even from Barton employees)…that Barton costs are high because they have to take care of all the uninsured people that come into the ER. Well, if you are netting 150 million and this does not even cover “the health care system” so the net revenue must be higher than 150 million.
How about sharing a little of this with local residents?
My family 30 year plus residents) tries to stay out of Barton because the care costs in Carson or Reno is so much less than Barton, even counting the time and money to get down there.
LTN….What can you share about this?
Cranky-be prepared for some paid shill from BartonCorp’s PR Dept. explaining to you just how wonderful ‘non-profit’ hospitals are. It’s all ‘perfectly legal’ and we should all be thankful that a profit driven healthcare system does all of us a favor by operating in our town.
One thing I’ve always wondered about re: Barton is how much Board members are paid and why? What expertise do people like, oh I don’t know pick one, say John Cefalu bring to deciding what’s best for our patient population?
It’s long past time we join the rest of the industrialized world in providing healthcare as a right to our citizens and get out of the for profit insurance company/non-profit hospital/pharma megascam.
Gerlad just an FYI; Net Revenue does not equal Net profit. Net Revenue minus operating expenses equals profit. So your figures are extremely bloated.
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/difference-between-net-revenue-operating-income-25511.html
Barton Health is licensed for 63 hospital beds. This includes 10 beds for labor and delivery, 8 beds in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and 45 for general acute care. The average inpatient census is 20 patients per a day and spikes as high as 40. An additional 48 beds are available in the Skilled Nursing Facility for skilled nursing and rehabilitation patients. The majority of our patients are seen in an outpatient setting, outside the hospital, at a physician or specialist’s office. Outpatient services comprise a much larger volume with approximately 152,000 physician visits annually. As Barton Health shifts from a sick and treat model to a preventative care model, we will see outpatient numbers continue to rise, and acute care decline.
To clarify a few questions: the net revenue for the entire health system, including the hospital, is $150 million. Board members are all volunteer and are not compensated.
Molly Hucklebridge Coolidge
Communications Specialist, Barton Health
BX2-
here is a quote/ excerpt from your reference in a section called
Net Revenue and Net Profit
“Some companies interchange the term net revenue and net profit. This can be a source of confusion, as revenue usually identifies income from normal and usual sales. Operating income identifies revenue minus operating expenses. Net revenue often equals gross profit, resulting from sales less cost of sales. When used to mean net profit, the term net revenue should be explained to the listener or reader. Since the true “bottom line” of an organization is its net profit, those companies using net revenue to identify its final profit should identify it as such. Publicly traded companies, which must state their results using generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), must clearly identify their net profit or loss, without using the term net revenue.”
This means we still do not know the answers to the questions asked. Your referenced article actually deepens the mystery as we do not know how they keep their books.
This is heresay at this point, but I was told a few years ago by someone who should have known) that although Barton Board members did not receive compensation, they did get free medical treatment at the Barton facilities. Could not tell if this was for family members too, but if true it amounts to quite a chunk of change if they use it,
If true this clouds the issue of compensation
Teatotal-
I agree with the gist of your remarks above.
Barton operates behind a smoke screen economically.
Their roster of Doctors is in a large part a swinging door. They come and go, which is concerning if you are looking for a continuing relationship with a doctor.
I do not understand how they are changing from treatment to prevention.
Does this mean if you are sick and need treatment that you will have to go off the hill?
While if you want to stay healthy, they can take care of you?
They will give classes on healthy diet for fees your insurance won’t cover?
I believed a better explanation was called for when they announced the new CEO.
From Barton: The Board of Directors have the option for health coverage, similar to Barton Health’s employee plans where they pay a portion of the premium. This portion is taxable, and Barton Health also pays a portion of the premium. Not all Board Members take advantage of this option for health coverage.”