From the Publisher
Greetings West Tennessee Medical News readers! Do you know what happens when you assemble a doctor, a nurse and two seasoned professionals who manage large groups of physicians? Well for one, you get a perfect cover photo for a market directory of healthcare executives. And secondly, you get some really good ideas on what to do when the healthcare industry is turned on its head… yet again. If you’re curious about those great ideas, I hope you’ll read on through the next few pages. Our cover story, “Overhaul in DC: Will Healthcare Get the Same?” was written by West Tennessee Medical News writer, Suzanne Boyd, for this fifth edition of InCharge Healthcare 2017.
West Tennessee is often called a perfect training ground for some of the best healthcare executives in our region, in our state – and maybe even in the country. But increasingly we see leaders who come to West Tennessee, not just to train and move on… but to stay. Because upon moving here, they discover a great home town feel, wonderful people and a lifestyle conducive to raising families.
This is exactly what happened to Dr. Bill Mariencheck when he was finishing med school at Duke University many years ago. His wife had already secured a faculty position there and they just had their second child, when Mariencheck, originally from Memphis, got a call to come home because his grandmother had passed away. While in Memphis for the funeral, his recruiter called and asked him to stop in Jackson, TN, on the way back to North Carolina and look at a clinic…The Jackson Clinic. And the rest is history. What Mariencheck saw was a place where he could practice quality academic level medicine without the big city hassles. Sixteen years later, he now serves as Chairman of the Board.
When Janice Zimmer, chief nursing officer at Tennova – Regional Hospital says that one of the keys to fixing healthcare is collaboration, I couldn’t agree more. If you have a nurse in your life, you can’t help but have a great respect for their hard working profession. I believe it’s critical to have nurses at the table when dealing with the task of improving patient care. Jan is a leader, and I know she has made a huge contribution to Regional Hospital. I think the jury is still out as to whether she’ll always be in Jackson, but we should keep our fingers crossed. Jackson may be growing on her.
Donna Klutts, of course, is well-known and respected in Jackson. She has ushered West Tennessee Bone & Joint through some major growth and expansion including the newest one, scheduled for mid-2018 completion, a joint project with the Physicians Surgery Center that will add big space to both the surgery center and the clinic. Donna and her family have been in Jackson since 1999, and fortunately it sounds like they’ve planted roots and will be sticking around.
I first met Darrell King in Jonesboro, Arkansas, when he was managing the physicians at NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital. Having grown up in Jackson, Darrell is one of those people who left to pursue a career path – a couple of times – but who ultimately made his way back home to Jackson in 2015 to take on the role of managing physicians at the West Tennessee Health Care Physicians Group. For Darrell and his family, Jackson is home.
So there you have it, Jackson and the entire West Tennessee region is truly home to many wonderful physicians, nurses and healthcare executives – some native, some transplanted but all happy to be here. We thank you all for your loyal readership which inspires us to continue bringing you local, statewide and national medical news. Please send me any comments or suggestions. And may you all have a healthy and prosperous new year.
Pamela Harris
Publisher
pamela@memphismedicalnews.com
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