Mercy providing big-city services for small towns

When it comes to healthcare access, the closer to home the better, and Mercy Regional Medical Center CEO Scott Smith is committed to bringing big-city services to small-town Eunice.
“We now have three board-certified, interventional cardiologists,” Smith said. “This enables our population in both the St. Landry and Evangeline parishes, to stay closer to home, instead of traveling to Lafayette for services.” 
“We are able to offer the same healthcare as metropolitan areas. Thanks to LifePoint Hospitals Inc., (the hospital’s parent company, which is headquartered in Tennessee) we have access to capital, equipment and upgrades that keep us on the cutting edge of all technology upgrades and physician recruitment. Our affiliation with Lifepoint means more healthcare resources in a small, rural community. We serve rural America, so more and more people are staying in our area to receive care, which has a direct impact on our communities.” 
Smith, who has previously worked at other LifePoint-affiliated hospitals in Louisiana and in Mississippi, recently completed his first year as CEO of Mercy, which has facilities in Ville Platte and at its Acadian Medical Center campus in Eunice, and his position has kept him on the go.
“As with any first year, it has been busy for both hospitals,” Smith said. “We have positive changes at both campuses, most notably, an increase in technology and physician satisfaction.” 
Last year, more than $2.5 million in capital funded technology advances and improvements at both hospitals, including a new CT scanner at the AMC campus. Both hospitals will get new telemetry systems and new surgical towers, and AMC is also slated to receive a new ultrasound machine. The technological advances and improvements were funded by contributions from Lifepoint Hospitals, Inc. In 2014, the Acadian campus also opened a $1 million catheterization lab and made expansions to its cardiovascular program.
Such advancements in local health care are important as Louisiana battles some of the highest obesity rates in the country and a high percentage of residents with diabetes.
“Louisiana’s population also has a lot of cardiovascular disease,” Smith added.  
The hospital’s administration also fields and responds to feedback from employees and physicians and is making some changes based on those recommendations.
“Physicians are a major part of the healthcare business and what we do every day,” Smith said. “Our physicians’ input on surgery and technical upgrades is instrumental in the every-day process needed to advance.
“Additionally, patient advocacy is important to us. Our team listens and strives to ensure our patients are always satisfied.” 
Besides bringing the latest in healthcare to the area, the two hospital campuses are also among the largest employers in the area. According to the Center’s 2013 community report, Mercy Regional Medical Center and the Eunice campus paid more than $1.3 million in taxes that year, which helped support the city, parish and state. The center’s annual payroll is $28,386,280, and between the two campuses, there are about 515 employees. The 2014 community report will be available in April.
Smith’s first year as CEO coincided with the first year of phasing in provisions of the Affordable Care Act, and Smith keeps abreast of the number of Louisiana residents who have signed up for coverage through the act.
“At this time last year, there were 2,600 people enrollees in the Affordable Health Care,” Smith said. “Figures from within the last few weeks now put that number around 132,000, according to Louisiana Hospital Association. When compared to the state population, that’s not a large number.” 
“The Affordable Health Care Act is not affordable for everyone. There are not a lot of enrollees.” 
Both hospitals have Certified Application Counselors available 24/7 for those who have questions about health care options, but Smith said the passage of the act did not cause a large spike in the number of hospital patients.  
“In 2014, we did not notice a lot,” he said. “There are problems with the system at the federal level as far as enrollment. I think it will have more participation this year. We didn’t notice anything relevant here compared to some other states, but that does not change the number of uninsured we see and treat here.”