A New Year and a New CEO with the Same Commitment to Excellence
North Florida Regional Medical Center (NFRMC) has always offered exceptional, advanced medical care to the Gainesville community. Although their dedication is unsurpassed and their patient care is top-notch, the Board of Directors and medical staff are continually focused on improvement and growth—guaranteeing the hospital’s continued success.
In keeping with this commitment, NFRMC recently selected a new Chief Executive Officer—Ward Boston III. Boston brings dedication, passion and more than 30 years of experience to the position. Most recently, he was the CEO of Northside Hospital and Heart Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla.; he has also served as the CEO of the Tulane University Hospital and Clinic in New Orleans.
Working in Gainesville was a particularly attractive opportunity for Boston, who has always been interested in working in university towns, he said. It was, however, more than just location that drew him. “When I first came to NFRMC and began meeting the Board, medical staff and employees, it was evident that they were a team that worked together to put patients first … The staff is not only highly capable but also very caring,” he said. “They put their energy into patient care and also into community causes, leading numerous community organizations.”
Boston and North Florida Regional Medical Center’s staff stand poised and ready to accept any challenges 2009 presents; they are dedicated and determined to provide integrated healthcare services that exceed the needs and expectations of those they serve.
“It occurs to me that providing quality healthcare isn’t as much about what you do, it’s about how you do it. It’s a process of growing and responding to changing community needs while preserving the programs and practices that have proven effective for the people of North Central Florida,” Boston said. “To that end, North Florida Regional Medical Center is growing to meet those very demands put forth by our community.”
NFRMC’s physical growth includes a new, state-of-the-art Cancer Center that is currently under construction. The center will include Radiation Therapy, Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and the CyberKnife®. An oncology resource center and Patient Navigator Program will also be available to assist patients and their families through their cancer care. In 2008, NFRMC opened its fourth Senior Healthcare Center, located in Melrose, dedicated to providing comprehensive geriatric healthcare to seniors. NFRMC’s future plans include the expansion of the Cardiac Catheterization Lab and Emergency Department.
Along with physical growth is the increased demand for technology. NFRMC is the only hospital in north central Florida using the da Vinci robot for multiple specialty surgeries, including urologic and gynecologic procedures. The recently completed expansion of the area’s finest outpatient imaging center, Invision Imaging, included adding a 64-slice CT scanner, which is capable of producing sharp, clear, three-dimensional images of any organ, including 3-D views of blood vessels, in a matter of seconds. Labor and Delivery has implemented the GE Centricity Perinatal Documentation System and installed fetal monitors for all patient rooms. The NFRMC pharmacy began using a new anticoagulant monitoring service to assure that patients on high-risk medications were monitored frequently enough to prevent under or over coagulation. Other new technology recently added by NFRMC includes Digital Mammography, which produces clear and precise digital images that appear in seconds.
NFRMC has grown not only physically and technologically, and they have grown in the area of patient care as well. The hospital received an excellent report on their triennial Joint Commission Survey as well as receiving many accolades on their Cancer Program Survey. NFRMC has also implemented a new stroke program, including hospitalwide training of all employees, establishing a stroke alert team and meeting all requirements to apply for Joint Commission accreditation to become a certified Primary Stroke Center.
A proven leader, North Florida Regional Medical Center is committed to providing the community with the highest quality care. NFRMC is a 325- bed, full-service medical and surgical acute care facility. The medical staff is made up of more than 400 physicians representing more than 40 specialties.