Prince Frederick, MD – As Calvert County has grown over the past four decades, so too has its hospital. For nearly 30 years, Calvert Memorial Hospital (CMH) was helmed by James J. Xinis. The longtime CMH president and CEO retired back in February.
Anticipating Xinis’ retirement, the community hospital’s board hired Dean Teague (pictured) in 2012 to serve as the facility’s chief operating officer.
Teague, a native of Marshfield, MA, is a retired Navy officer. His career in the Armed Forces spanned 24 years.
Teague once worked for the White House Medical Unit. He was serving as the vice president of operations at Washington Adventist Hospital in Montgomery County when he was hired by CMH.
Teague indicated the three-years of preparing to succeed Xinis were beneficial. “I found it to be a very enlightening experience,” he told The BayNet. “I gained a lot of experience at CMH.”
Leading a facility with a solid local history and focus clearly appeals to Teague. “It’s the community’s hospital,” he said. “I’ve always been focused on the community in which I live.”
Teague explained that one way that CMH is “community-based” is the fact that people who work at the hospital bring their families to the facility for treatment. ‘That relationship with employees makes you successful,” he said.
That Teague, in his short tenure with CMH, has been able to bond with the hospital’s employees is no small feat. Calvert Memorial Hospital is the county’s largest private employer, with over 1,200 employees. Teague dedicates a significant portion of his workday speaking with CMH’s various employees to see how they are doing.
He has also focused on community outreach, a strategy Xinis also employed during his long career. Teague said he appreciates community leaders’ involvement in CMH, including the support from the Calvert County Commissioners. There is also a lot of interaction between the hospital and Calvert’s volunteer fire, rescue and emergency medical services. Additionally, Teague has served on the boards of the United Way of Calvert and the Calvert County Chamber of Commerce.
The local hospital’s leadership has also reached beyond the county’s borders to provide better services. Teague noted CMH has some services other community hospitals don’t have thanks in large part to its affiliation with larger facilities such as MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. Calvert Memorial and Georgetown’s alliance is in the area of neurosurgery. “We’ve done well as a hospital,” said Teague, noting that CMH is affiliated but has remained “independent.”
Currently, CMH has about 300 physicians on its active and consulting medical staff. The roster includes practicing specialists other healthcare providers. The hospital currently employs 24 doctors. Teague said Maryland’s predicted physician shortage “is real” and still looming. He said one of his goals for the coming year is to recruit four more physicians and at least two nurse practitioners.
The local hospital is striving to meet new federal mandates and to address that another expansion plan is in the works. Teague and CMH Public Relations and Marketing Director Kasia Sweeney explained that hospital officials are hoping to garner community support for the plan which would allow the facility to transition to all private rooms, for a total of 80 beds. The project would add significant square footage to the building. Teague said it was basically “a three-floor addition.”
The entire expansion project would cost an estimated $51 million. A certificate of need is being filed with the Maryland Healthcare Commission. If all state and local permits are issued construction could begin as soon as 2017.
As for CMH in the present, Teague said the upcoming CMH Foundation’s Harvest Ball is raising money for the purchase and equipping of a mobile healthcare unit. Community fundraising has also helped the nonprofit hospital expand its radiology department, which now has state-of-the-art equipment.
A big concern involves Maryland being allowed to retain its Medicare Healthcare Waiver, which the federal government granted in 2014. The measure allows hospitals in Maryland to continue setting reimbursement rates for Medicare patients. “We want to make sure the waiver stays intact,” said Teague.
The new CEO acknowledged that sometimes patients and their families are going to have what they deem to be a bad experience at the hospital. His strategy goes beyond “fixing the problem immediately.” The hospital has recruited a group of “patient advocates” to provide feedback.
Sweeney noted that CMH will often invite recent patients “to have dinner with Dean” to encourage them to freely discuss their experiences. Teague also gets feedback from CMH volunteers who have daily contact with patients. He also receives feedback from the Patient Advisory Council. “They give us great information,” he said.
Teague called Xinis a “very likeable person,” adding, “he taught me how to work a room.” He called his predecessor “a financial genius. I’m more of an operational guy.”
While Teague is CMH’s new man at the top, he appears determined not to become lonely at the top. “Administrating is a challenge,” he said. “Having great people, you don’t have to worry so much. We have great physician leaders—great physicians and nurses.”
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com