A Note From Gene

Honoring Our Past, Building for Our Future

When I’m not serving as an interim executive, I teach graduate-level students in Health Care Administration at a university just west of here. I start each semester by describing the complexity of the healthcare industry.

Healthcare is a field with many constant changes, policies, opinions, and environmental factors that affect how we operate. Managing a hospital has many components, including (but hardly limited to) federal, state, and local regulations; hiring and retaining healthcare professionals; proper handling of insurance, billing, and reimbursements; building community relationships; and, above all else, meeting our patients’ needs and expectations. A hospital administrator needs to know and understand not just what happens inside their hospital, but what’s happening in their community and nationwide.

This complexity is why healthcare organizations across the nation must continue to remain responsive to a wide array of challenges and accept that our industry will change whether we’re prepared or not. This isn’t a field where “We’ve always done it that way” applies. It’s important to honor our past and learn from our experiences, but our future is critical, and we must be ready and willing to meet it with innovative approaches.

Boone Health is uniquely prepared as your community healthcare organization to be responsive to your needs, your family’s needs, and your community’s needs. While you may hear about the challenges faced by hospitals nationwide, I have seen how Boone has resources in place to deal with these issues, prepare for the future, and navigate uncertain waters.

Along with changes in technology and medicine, healthcare itself has changed since the 20th century as we continue to shift from caring for the acutely ill to helping people achieve their best possible health and focus on what matters to them most.

No matter what changes, one thing will remain the same – Boone Health is committed to top-quality patient care and to serving the people and communities of mid-Missouri. Since 1921, through prosperous and challenging times, this community hospital has consistently set high standards for patient care and experience, and that is one thing from our past that will endure.

As healthcare continues to change, there is always more to learn – and that applies to me, as well. The lessons I’ve learned during my time at Boone demonstrate that community hospitals are essential for a strong community. The experiences I’ve had and relationships I’ve built will be invaluable to share with the future healthcare leaders I teach. I look forward to seeing how they will learn from and honor our past while building for the future.