thedrifter
12-18-06, 08:14 AM
Published Monday, December 18, 2006
Monday, December 18, 2006
With an Eye on Growth, Heart of Florida CEO Puts Patients First
By Amber Smith
The Ledger
JAME ROBERT BEATTY IV
Date of birth: Sept. 25, 1962.
Place of birth: New London, Conn.
Family: Wife of 16 years, Tracey, and three children, Charlotte, Jimmy and George.
Education: Bachelor's degree in mathematics from UCLA, master's in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin.
Hobbies: Likes to run and watch football.
Last read books: "Blink" and "Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell.
Favorite sport: Football.
Favorite team: Pittsburgh Steelers.
Favorite movie: "Braveheart" - "I'm Scottish," Beatty said.
Favorite saying: "Let's Go." - "It's sort of my take on Nike's 'Just Do It,'<0x200A>" Beatty said. "That is the approach I take in a lot of aspects of my life."
HAINES CITY
Don't let Jim Beatty's military-style haircut and serious demeanor fool you. The CEO of the Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center has a softer side, too.
Witness his Save the Children tie depicting a reindeer sitting next to a Christmas tree. It was drawn by an artist named Nicole, 9, according to the back of the tie.
Beatty, 44, who took over as head of the medical center in May, knows his looks can be deceiving.
"When people meet me, they think, 'Oh. he's a combat military guy with the short hair. He looks kind of stern and he was in the Marine Corps,'" Beatty said sitting in his somewhat spare office at the medical center on U.S. 27 North. "What they don't think about is I am someone's son. I am someone's brother. I am a dad. I'm a nice guy. I'm fuzzy on the inside, not necessarily on the outside."
Beatty laughed after making the comment and admitted he was probably going to get teased by his family for it.
"My family has a good sense of humor. If you do something like trip on the floor, you are going to get teased about it," he said with a laugh. "You have to have a thick skin. We give as good as we get."
One thing Beatty doesn't joke about is his job of running the 142-bed facility and managing 840 employees. He declined to reveal his annual salary.
"I want to make sure we are providing the best care to patients possible," Beatty said. "Our corporate philosophy is to enhance our partnership with the doctors here. They direct all the patient care in the hospital. We are partners with the medical staff. That is how it should be. Everyone working together to make sure the patients are taken care of, that the doctors have what they need and that the other staff has what they need."
Heart of Florida is Polk County's third-largest hospital and has grown steadily since its move from downtown Haines City into a new complex. It is an increasingly ambitious player in Polk's medical community and is poised to take advantage of the explosive growth in Four Corners.
Beatty will be a lead player in that effort.
Beatty's 20 years in the Marine Corps as a combat and attack pilot who flew Harrier jets that dropped bombs, has helped him in his job here and at his previous job. Beatty served as assistant administrator, associate administrator and most recently CEO of Spring Hill Regional Medical Center, a sister hospital that is also owned by parent company Health Management Associates, which owns and runs 60 hospitals and is headquartered in Naples.
"One thing I learned to do in the military is multitask," Beatty said. "I think if people just push themselves a little, they can get a lot accomplished in a day. I expect that when you are at work that you will be working. There is always something that can be done. I was listening in on a conference call the other day, but I was also sitting here signing Christmas cards."
But Beatty also believes in down time and making the most of it.
FAMILY MAN
Beatty, who has been married to his wife, Tracey, for 16 years, said his family made the move from Spring Hill to Winter Haven rather well.
"It is always hard to pick up and move, but they are adjusting pretty well," Beatty said. "Central Florida is a beautiful area and it is close to all the Orlando attractions. We like it here."
Beatty stays busy with work and serving on numerous boards like the Haines City Economic Development Council and working with the Haines City Chamber of Commerce and Winter Haven YMCA.
But when he is home he likes to spend the time with his wife and three children, Charlotte, Jimmy and George. One of his current hobbies is collecting all the new state quarters for them.
"I have three books of the quarters, one for each of the children. Every time I get a quarter, I turn it over to see if it is one I haven't got yet. I think I am caught up now. The funny thing is, the best place to get the shiny, new quarters is at the toll booths on the Polk Parkway," Beatty said with a laugh. "That seems to be where I've gotten most of them."
His no-nonsense approach to life has served him well.
Beatty, whose father was a career Naval officer and attended the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., said he thought he would be career military as well then retire and go work as a pilot for an airline.
"I had joined the NROTC in college and had joined the Marines, and after graduation was commissioned as a second lieutenant," Beatty said. "It was pretty much brutal, but it shows you what you can accomplish if you put your mind to something. That is true in the military and in the corporate world."
After serving 13 years on active duty and seven years in the reserves, Beatty used the G.I. Bill to get his MBA from the University of Texas while still in the reserves. It was there that he was recruited by Health Management Associates.
A NEW CAREER
"I hadn't really thought about a career in the health care field," Beatty said. "I really thought I would go and work as a pilot for an airline. I had friends who did that, and now a lot of them are looking for another career.
"I knew I wanted to pick a career where there would be a demand for my services."
Beatty said he thinks people coming out of the military are often overlooked by employers.
"There seems to be an opinion that if you have a military person that they only have the skills they had in the military. That's not true. Sure, they may have to have some training in a new field, but they already have the leadership abilities and know how to accept training and that's an important skill to have. They are very adaptable," Beatty said. "I would like to see more retired military or young people just getting out of the service be recruited into the corporate world."
Ann Barnhart, the former CEO of Heart of Florida who was promoted to vice president of operations for HMA, said Beatty had the right requirements to replace her at the hospital.
Beatty's military appearance and style is different from her own, but she says that is not a bad thing.
"He has a good understanding of the business," Barnhart said. "He has the military personality but he is a very warm, caring and sensitive individual."
Barnhart, a nurse who worked her way up the administrative ladder, said she doesn't think Beatty's lack of medical knowledge is a problem either.
"What he doesn't know on the technical side, he is not afraid to ask questions about. He's got a great leadership quality and he has a clear understanding of the business of running a hospital."
Beatty can't say enough nice things about his predecessor.
"She is a tough act to follow," Beatty said. "She is so loved by the community. She was very involved in it. It has been great to come into something that was so well-run."
Beatty, who has been in the community for almost eight months, said he is getting to know the people.
"The most important thing to me that people know is that I do the right thing by people, by the organization. In this business that is doing the right thing for the patient and the right thing for the doctors. It's all about style points in a sense," Beatty said with a laugh. "First and foremost, I value the people and I think people should be treated the way you want to be treated your- self."
Beatty acknowledged it is sometimes hard to find the balance between running a hospital, which is ultimately a business that has bills that need to be paid, and providing a service.
He said the worst part of his job is the litigious environment that sometimes surrounds the medical field.
"It's the frivolous lawsuits and it's the bureaucracy in trying to get reimbursement for services," Beatty said. "That is the unpleasant part of the job."
But there is a best part.
"It's the letters from patients," Beatty said with a big smile. "It's the letters about how much they liked their treatment here and how we know how to take care of people here. That's what makes it all worth it."
WHAT'S NEXT
In his first year on the job, Beatty will supervise the addition of fourth and fifth floors on the hospital that will bring an additional 108 beds, for a total of 250. It will also add operating rooms, therapy rooms and post-surgical rooms. Construction is expected to begin at the end of the year and be completed in about 16 months.
"It's one construction project after another," Beatty said.
The hospital also will be able to do emergency angioplasties, which is rare for a hospital that does not perform open-heart surgeries.
"We will also be adding a stroke center and an emergency chest pain center, which goes hand-in-hand with the angioplasties," Beatty said. "That has become a standard of care for hospitals."
Beatty said he will be focusing on luring more specialists to the area, especially in the vascular and bariatric surgery fields.
"This area is growing. This community is growing," Beatty said. "Years ago when they moved the hospital from downtown Haines City out here, they did a good thing. They saw the growth that was coming and that there would be a need for the hospital to grow as well. There is no doubt in my mind that in a few years this area will be built up."
Paty Wright, president and CEO of the Haines City Economic Development Council, said Beatty's take on the area is right on target.
"Jim demonstrates a dynamic style of leadership, which is important to the hospital and Haines City's future," Wright said. "He understands the enormous growth factors that are affecting our area. I think he is going to be instrumental in moving the hospital in the right direction."
Beatty said he is looking forward to the challenges of the job.
"It's a tough business. You have to be able to balance the needs of the patients with the running of the hospital. The hospital is growing in a growing community," Beatty said as the screensaver on his computer behind him flipped through various pictures of the hospital. "But that's a nice problem to have."
Amber Smith can be reached at amber.smith@theledger.com or 863-422-6800.
Ellie
Monday, December 18, 2006
With an Eye on Growth, Heart of Florida CEO Puts Patients First
By Amber Smith
The Ledger
JAME ROBERT BEATTY IV
Date of birth: Sept. 25, 1962.
Place of birth: New London, Conn.
Family: Wife of 16 years, Tracey, and three children, Charlotte, Jimmy and George.
Education: Bachelor's degree in mathematics from UCLA, master's in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin.
Hobbies: Likes to run and watch football.
Last read books: "Blink" and "Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell.
Favorite sport: Football.
Favorite team: Pittsburgh Steelers.
Favorite movie: "Braveheart" - "I'm Scottish," Beatty said.
Favorite saying: "Let's Go." - "It's sort of my take on Nike's 'Just Do It,'<0x200A>" Beatty said. "That is the approach I take in a lot of aspects of my life."
HAINES CITY
Don't let Jim Beatty's military-style haircut and serious demeanor fool you. The CEO of the Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center has a softer side, too.
Witness his Save the Children tie depicting a reindeer sitting next to a Christmas tree. It was drawn by an artist named Nicole, 9, according to the back of the tie.
Beatty, 44, who took over as head of the medical center in May, knows his looks can be deceiving.
"When people meet me, they think, 'Oh. he's a combat military guy with the short hair. He looks kind of stern and he was in the Marine Corps,'" Beatty said sitting in his somewhat spare office at the medical center on U.S. 27 North. "What they don't think about is I am someone's son. I am someone's brother. I am a dad. I'm a nice guy. I'm fuzzy on the inside, not necessarily on the outside."
Beatty laughed after making the comment and admitted he was probably going to get teased by his family for it.
"My family has a good sense of humor. If you do something like trip on the floor, you are going to get teased about it," he said with a laugh. "You have to have a thick skin. We give as good as we get."
One thing Beatty doesn't joke about is his job of running the 142-bed facility and managing 840 employees. He declined to reveal his annual salary.
"I want to make sure we are providing the best care to patients possible," Beatty said. "Our corporate philosophy is to enhance our partnership with the doctors here. They direct all the patient care in the hospital. We are partners with the medical staff. That is how it should be. Everyone working together to make sure the patients are taken care of, that the doctors have what they need and that the other staff has what they need."
Heart of Florida is Polk County's third-largest hospital and has grown steadily since its move from downtown Haines City into a new complex. It is an increasingly ambitious player in Polk's medical community and is poised to take advantage of the explosive growth in Four Corners.
Beatty will be a lead player in that effort.
Beatty's 20 years in the Marine Corps as a combat and attack pilot who flew Harrier jets that dropped bombs, has helped him in his job here and at his previous job. Beatty served as assistant administrator, associate administrator and most recently CEO of Spring Hill Regional Medical Center, a sister hospital that is also owned by parent company Health Management Associates, which owns and runs 60 hospitals and is headquartered in Naples.
"One thing I learned to do in the military is multitask," Beatty said. "I think if people just push themselves a little, they can get a lot accomplished in a day. I expect that when you are at work that you will be working. There is always something that can be done. I was listening in on a conference call the other day, but I was also sitting here signing Christmas cards."
But Beatty also believes in down time and making the most of it.
FAMILY MAN
Beatty, who has been married to his wife, Tracey, for 16 years, said his family made the move from Spring Hill to Winter Haven rather well.
"It is always hard to pick up and move, but they are adjusting pretty well," Beatty said. "Central Florida is a beautiful area and it is close to all the Orlando attractions. We like it here."
Beatty stays busy with work and serving on numerous boards like the Haines City Economic Development Council and working with the Haines City Chamber of Commerce and Winter Haven YMCA.
But when he is home he likes to spend the time with his wife and three children, Charlotte, Jimmy and George. One of his current hobbies is collecting all the new state quarters for them.
"I have three books of the quarters, one for each of the children. Every time I get a quarter, I turn it over to see if it is one I haven't got yet. I think I am caught up now. The funny thing is, the best place to get the shiny, new quarters is at the toll booths on the Polk Parkway," Beatty said with a laugh. "That seems to be where I've gotten most of them."
His no-nonsense approach to life has served him well.
Beatty, whose father was a career Naval officer and attended the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., said he thought he would be career military as well then retire and go work as a pilot for an airline.
"I had joined the NROTC in college and had joined the Marines, and after graduation was commissioned as a second lieutenant," Beatty said. "It was pretty much brutal, but it shows you what you can accomplish if you put your mind to something. That is true in the military and in the corporate world."
After serving 13 years on active duty and seven years in the reserves, Beatty used the G.I. Bill to get his MBA from the University of Texas while still in the reserves. It was there that he was recruited by Health Management Associates.
A NEW CAREER
"I hadn't really thought about a career in the health care field," Beatty said. "I really thought I would go and work as a pilot for an airline. I had friends who did that, and now a lot of them are looking for another career.
"I knew I wanted to pick a career where there would be a demand for my services."
Beatty said he thinks people coming out of the military are often overlooked by employers.
"There seems to be an opinion that if you have a military person that they only have the skills they had in the military. That's not true. Sure, they may have to have some training in a new field, but they already have the leadership abilities and know how to accept training and that's an important skill to have. They are very adaptable," Beatty said. "I would like to see more retired military or young people just getting out of the service be recruited into the corporate world."
Ann Barnhart, the former CEO of Heart of Florida who was promoted to vice president of operations for HMA, said Beatty had the right requirements to replace her at the hospital.
Beatty's military appearance and style is different from her own, but she says that is not a bad thing.
"He has a good understanding of the business," Barnhart said. "He has the military personality but he is a very warm, caring and sensitive individual."
Barnhart, a nurse who worked her way up the administrative ladder, said she doesn't think Beatty's lack of medical knowledge is a problem either.
"What he doesn't know on the technical side, he is not afraid to ask questions about. He's got a great leadership quality and he has a clear understanding of the business of running a hospital."
Beatty can't say enough nice things about his predecessor.
"She is a tough act to follow," Beatty said. "She is so loved by the community. She was very involved in it. It has been great to come into something that was so well-run."
Beatty, who has been in the community for almost eight months, said he is getting to know the people.
"The most important thing to me that people know is that I do the right thing by people, by the organization. In this business that is doing the right thing for the patient and the right thing for the doctors. It's all about style points in a sense," Beatty said with a laugh. "First and foremost, I value the people and I think people should be treated the way you want to be treated your- self."
Beatty acknowledged it is sometimes hard to find the balance between running a hospital, which is ultimately a business that has bills that need to be paid, and providing a service.
He said the worst part of his job is the litigious environment that sometimes surrounds the medical field.
"It's the frivolous lawsuits and it's the bureaucracy in trying to get reimbursement for services," Beatty said. "That is the unpleasant part of the job."
But there is a best part.
"It's the letters from patients," Beatty said with a big smile. "It's the letters about how much they liked their treatment here and how we know how to take care of people here. That's what makes it all worth it."
WHAT'S NEXT
In his first year on the job, Beatty will supervise the addition of fourth and fifth floors on the hospital that will bring an additional 108 beds, for a total of 250. It will also add operating rooms, therapy rooms and post-surgical rooms. Construction is expected to begin at the end of the year and be completed in about 16 months.
"It's one construction project after another," Beatty said.
The hospital also will be able to do emergency angioplasties, which is rare for a hospital that does not perform open-heart surgeries.
"We will also be adding a stroke center and an emergency chest pain center, which goes hand-in-hand with the angioplasties," Beatty said. "That has become a standard of care for hospitals."
Beatty said he will be focusing on luring more specialists to the area, especially in the vascular and bariatric surgery fields.
"This area is growing. This community is growing," Beatty said. "Years ago when they moved the hospital from downtown Haines City out here, they did a good thing. They saw the growth that was coming and that there would be a need for the hospital to grow as well. There is no doubt in my mind that in a few years this area will be built up."
Paty Wright, president and CEO of the Haines City Economic Development Council, said Beatty's take on the area is right on target.
"Jim demonstrates a dynamic style of leadership, which is important to the hospital and Haines City's future," Wright said. "He understands the enormous growth factors that are affecting our area. I think he is going to be instrumental in moving the hospital in the right direction."
Beatty said he is looking forward to the challenges of the job.
"It's a tough business. You have to be able to balance the needs of the patients with the running of the hospital. The hospital is growing in a growing community," Beatty said as the screensaver on his computer behind him flipped through various pictures of the hospital. "But that's a nice problem to have."
Amber Smith can be reached at amber.smith@theledger.com or 863-422-6800.
Ellie