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Outgoing Faxton chief: Consolidate
That was the headline almost 12 years ago, yup, looking back at hospital headlines we read interestingly:
So was there a new hospital plan in 2008, but the public only learned about it is 2014? So interesting to peel-back their #mvhsdowntown scam!
May 31, 2008 - Outgoing Faxton chief: Consolidate
Outgoing Faxton chief: Consolidate
Posted May 31, 2008 at 12:01 AM
Updated May 31, 2008 at 5:51 PM
For Keith Fenstemacher, the outgoing president of Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare, the future of health-care services is simple. With rising costs and a shortage of physicians and nursing staff, hospitals need to consolidate to provide the best care to the community, he said. For Keith Fenstemacher, the outgoing president of Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare, the future of health-care services is simple - consolidate.
With rising health-care costs and a shortage of physicians and nursing staff, hospitals need to come together to provide the best care to the community, he said. As he prepares to leave behind a legacy of consolidation projects between the region’s primary health-care providers - St. Elizabeth Medical Center and Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare – he is happy his successor Scott H. Perra shares the same vision.“
We think and approach alike,” he said. “We have more similarities than differences.” Fenstemacher, who also is chief executive officer of Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare and Mohawk Valley Network, will retire at the end of this year, the institutions’ Board of Directors announced Friday.
Fenstemacher became the president and CEO of Faxton Hospital in 1982 and president of the Mohawk Valley Network in 1998. He became president and CEO of Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare in 2003. He led the clinical consolidation of programs and services at St. Elizabeth Medical Center and Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare campuses.
Perra, who is vice president of Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare, will take over Jan. 1, 2009, the board said Friday.
From 9 facilities to 2
At Fenstemacher’s office Friday, the two men stood, arms around each other, as they talked about their experiences and plans for the future.
When he first came to the area, there were about nine hospitals in the area, and there was duplication in many services, Fenstemacher said.Now there are only two hospitals.
Fenstemacher was heavily involved in the official consolidation of Faxton and St. Luke’s hospitals, a project started by his predecessor Andrew Peterson, who led St. Luke’s Memorial Hospital Center through expansions and a major merger with Faxton Hospital. One of the biggest employers in the area, Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare employs more than 3,000 people.
After taking over as the president and CEO of Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare, Fenstemacher shepherded a clinical consolidation of programs and services at both campuses.
‘What’s the next level?’
Mohawk Valley Heart Institute and Cancer Center is another example of cooperation, but a lot more needs to be done, he said.“ Cooperation has started and got us to this point,” he said. “I’d like the hospitals and physicians to sit and answer ‘what’s the next level?’”
In Binghamton, where he served as an administrator at United Health Services, he was involved in consolidation projects. In the Mohawk valley, he saw the need for the same. Otherwise, in the face of rising costs and limited resources, it would be difficult to stay competitive and make profit, he said.
Looking to the future
As Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare embarks on a strategic plan to be implemented over the next six years, it’s more responsibility for Perra. Currently, the problem facing the region’s hospitals is the shortage of staff, mainly physicians and nurses, he said.“ We need to work to retain and recruit,” Perra said. “The 2015 Plan will redefine health care here.”
Under the plan, Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare will focus on recruiting specialty physicians, more consolidation of services and returning fundraising programs, he said.“ There’s still some duplication,” he said.
Perra joined Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare in 1998 after serving nine years as the chief operating officer and vice president of St. Luke’s-Memorial Hospital Center. A Whitesboro resident, Perra is looking forward to the job. Fenstemacher will help him in the transition process during the next six months. A new vice president has yet to be appointed, officials said.
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