TOCCOA — The Stephens County Hospital Authority Board of Directors has named Roger Forgey, FACHE, interim chief executive officer for Stephens County Hospital.
Forgey was named Monday night during the board’s regular meeting.
Forgey succeeds Lynne Anderson, who recently resigned as CEO.
The authority retained Forgey in August 2017 to serve as turnaround consultant and assist the hospital management team in identifying and executing the performance improvement plan it began implementing in late 2016.
“Hospital leadership and the hospital authority are working in tandem to aggressively pursue financial turnaround initiatives, including improving clinical documentation and collections, service quality and increasing efficiencies in providing care,” said Hospital Authority Chairman Mark Wilkinson.
Wilkinson said the hospital has been confronted with declining market share and decreasing inpatient, surgery and emergency department volumes over the past several years.
Stephens County Hospital lost more than $4 million in fiscal year 2016 and $5 million in fiscal year 2017.
Now in fiscal year 2018 as of Oct. 1, the authority and hospital management team forecast substantial improvement due to initiatives underway and the hard work and dedication of all the employees at Stephens County Hospital.
In a press release Tuesday, Wilkinson welcomed Forgey to his new role.
“Roger’s a healthcare veteran who understands the challenges we’re facing; he also has deep regard for what our hospital means to the community,” Wilkinson said.
Highlighting Forgey’s most recent role as transition executive and interim CEO of Mayo Clinic Health System in Waycross, now Memorial Satilla Health, Wilkinson noted that that when Forgey assumed his leadership position at the Waycross hospital, the facility was losing more than $2 million per month.
“The hospital was restored to profitability during Roger’s tenure,” Wilkinson said.
Stephens County is one of only two hospitals within a 55-mile radius that is not affiliated with or part of a healthcare system.
However, Anderson recently confirmed the authority board and hospital administration are open to the possibility of partnering with a major healthcare system to ensure the hospital’s long-term viability.
“Stephens County Hospital continues to explore all avenues to help ensure the future financial stability and quality clinical care required to serve the needs of its community, including partnership or affiliation,” Wilkinson said.
Stephens County Hospital is a 96-bed acute care hospital located in Toccoa.
For 80 years, Stephens County Hospital has served the community.
Stephens County Hospital is a member of the Georgia Hospital Association, American Hospital Association, and Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals.
The hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission, the nation’s premier healthcare monitoring agency.
More About Roger Forgey
Roger Forgey has more than 35 years of senior healthcare executive experience and has been a successful CEO and senior operations leader in hospitals ranging from 27 to 811 beds. He’s held multiple CEO and senior leadership roles, including positions with Hospital Corporation of America, Mayo Clinic, Community Health Systems of Georgia, and Erlanger Health Systems.
He holds a master’s degree in health science administration from St. Francis University and a bachelor’s degree in healthcare management from the University of Tennessee. Forgey is also a nurse practitioner who is Board certified in healthcare administration.
