SMH Board OF
COMMISSIONERS announces CEO BILL DAVIS has opted to leave SMH at the end of his
contract term, Dec. 31, 2018
National search for new CEO being launched to ensure
effective transition
Board praises Davis as
‘inspirational leader’
Slidell,
LA – The Slidell
Memorial Hospital (SMH) Board of Commissioners announced today that CEO Bill
Davis has notified them of his intention to not renew his contract, which
expires at the end of 2018. For personal family reasons, Davis will be leaving
Slidell at the end of this year. At last night’s meeting, the SMH Board
approved the hiring of Korn Ferry Associates to conduct a national search for
the next SMH CEO, and Davis will play an integral role in selecting his
successor. According to the most recently published data, Korn Ferry is the
second largest executive healthcare recruiting firm in the U.S.
As CEO,
Davis has led the hospital for six years after first serving as Chief Financial
Officer from 2001 to 2012. In these
roles, he helped lead SMH from a precarious fiscal and operational situation to
become a healthcare leader and important community resource. When Davis became
CFO, SMH was in double technical default on its outstanding bond issues and had
lost $12.8 million in 2000. He led an impressive financial turnaround, with the
hospital generating a $776,600 income the very next year, in 2001. In the years
since, SMH has made an income in every year, except 2011 and 2013. His efforts in
restoring SMH to fiscal health were lauded in a commendation resolution by the
Louisiana Legislature.
Under his
leadership, successful initiatives included:
- Improved patient safety and
quality of care, which earned SMH top placement with national and healthcare
industry ratings organizations
- The new, expanded SMH Emergency
Department and new SMH Heart Center
- The SMH Community Outreach
program that touches over 30,000 lives per year
- 55%
improvement in employee satisfaction measurements
- 58% improvement in patient
satisfaction measurements
- The hospital’s partnership with
Ochsner Health System, which expanded Davis’ role as he became Chief
Executive Officer of the Slidell Market, which includes Slidell Memorial
Hospital, Ochsner Medical Center – North Shore, related clinics and
outpatient facilities. His efforts have led to more effectively organized
care and the creation of more than 300 new jobs within the past two years.
The partnership has added new services and medical specialists to our
community that previously did not exist, such as:
- Cancer clinical trials
- Expanded cardiology services
with the addition of a third Cardiac Catheterization Lab at SMH; Impella®
technology, the world’s smallest heart pump to support patients’ hearts
during high-risk heart procedures; and expanded heart surgery on-call to
24/7 coverage
- Robot-assisted surgery
- Recruited 24 physicians to
provide primary care and specialized services locally
- Specialty clinics, including
the Comprehensive Weight Loss Center and the upcoming Back and Spine
Center
"Bill Davis
has been an inspirational leader for SMH, undertaking initiatives affecting
employee culture, health programs and services, and community outreach to
fulfill our mission to improve our community’s quality of life,” said Dan
Ferrari, Board Chairman. "Since Bill joined this organization, he performed in
an exemplary manner as CFO and CEO, improving our finances, our quality
ratings, our employee morale and our patient satisfaction. Bill further
demonstrated his management skills as CEO of the Slidell Market in defining the
partnership. As CEO, he combined, managed and guided two organizations that
were fierce competitors a few years ago into financial stability for both
organizations, an increase in healthcare employment in the region, and lowered
healthcare costs, as well as added services to this region. He has played a
crucial role in positioning East St. Tammany to have a healthcare system that
can support its citizens well into the future.”
"This is a
bittersweet moment, and it is a difficult choice. I have loved being the CEO of
Slidell Memorial Hospital and, more recently, Ochsner Medical Center – North
Shore through our partnership. I cannot imagine working with a better group of
people. The impressive talent enabled so many big, audacious goals to be set
and achieved. It was their willingness to go after being the absolute best they
could be as individuals and as a team that made the difference,” Davis said.
"Together, we have redefined healthcare in our region. We have created a
first-class set of hospitals and clinics. The Slidell market has physicians who
are at the top of their field, awesome nurses who could choose to work anywhere,
and other staff who are second to none in their fields. Most of all, we have
made our community healthier, smarter about healthcare and we have given higher
quality care to our patients while keeping costs in check. To the local officials and community leaders
who have befriended me and worked with me, I am forever indebted. Of course, I
cannot go without thanking the citizens of East St. Tammany and Slidell for
their support of our ambitious initiatives to create world-class facilities to
keep people close to home for their medical treatment. It’s been an honor to
have served in this role.”
Davis has also been a community leader
in St. Tammany Parish, with his volunteer activities including East St. Tammany
Chamber of Commerce Chairman, St. Tammany (Economic) Development District
President, STARC Board Member and United Way Leadership Council member. While
leading so many great community support activities, Davis raised the image of
SMH and set the example for its mission to improve the quality of life in our
community.
He has earned several industry and
community honors during his time in Louisiana. In 2014, he was named American
Hospital Association Grassroots Champion for
the state of Louisiana; a finalist in the National Community Leadership Award
by Modern Healthcare and the East St.
Tammany Chamber of Commerce Board Member of the Year. In 2015, Davis was
honored as a New Orleans CityBusiness Healthcare
Hero and a Safe Harbor Real Man of St. Tammany. In 2016, he was named American
Hospital Association Political Action Committee Louisiana’s Most Valuable
Player and graduated from the Leadership Louisiana Program.
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ABOUT SMH
Slidell
Memorial Hospital is a full-service 229-bed acute care not-for-profit community
hospital located at 1001 Gause Blvd., in the heart of Slidell. Founded in 1959,
SMH serves as a primary healthcare resource for families in St. Tammany Parish,
La.; and, Pearl River County, Miss. For more information, visit http://www.slidellmemorial.org/ . The hospital’s main phone
number is (985) 280-2200.
Media contact:
Sam Caruso, Jr.
Slidell Memorial Hospital
Sam.Caruso@SlidellMemorial.org
(985) 280-8834
