"The only thing I do slowly is talk," says Nathan Tudor, CEO of Beauregard Memorial Hospital in DeRidder, La., and this fact holds true in various aspects of his career.
Mr. Tudor has climbed the healthcare leadership ladder quickly — at just 33 years old, Mr. Tudor has already served as CEO of three hospitals: Stonewall Memorial Hospital in Aspermont, Texas, Otto Kaiser Memorial Hospital in Kennedy, Texas, and his current hospital, Beauregard Memorial.
He has already developed a reputation for bringing improvements to every hospital he leads. In his two years at the helm of Otto Kaiser Memorial, for instance, he increased revenue by 200 percent and patient volume by 75 percent through improving physician relations and expanding service lines.
Now, in just eight months as CEO of Beauregard Memorial, Mr. Tudor is at it again. Already, he has engineered a $5 million turnaround for the hospital. The strides he has made as a healthcare leader before reaching 40 earned him a spot on Becker's Hospital Review's 2013 list of Rising Stars: 25 Healthcare Leaders Under 40.
Here, Mr. Tudor shares everything from how he's moving Beauregard Memorial forward to the best work-related advice he's ever received.
Question: I understand you've been CEO at Beauregard since December. What attracted you to the position? How have the first months gone?
Nathan Tudor: I saw it as a great career opportunity for myself and a tremendous opportunity for an expansion of services at Beauregard. But, the people here were the main attraction. I have a great board of directors and great physicians and staff here. We have exceptional healthcare professionals who have compassion for people. They love taking care of patients; they really love working at the hospital and being involved in the community.
The first months here have been incredible. We are moving forward with a number of projects that will really benefit patients and citizens of southwest Louisiana. We've recruited four physicians since December, opened a rural health clinic in the southern corner of the parish, and started a sleep center, a hospitalist program and an athletic training program. Also, we purchased 128-slice CT machine and are going to open a new six-bed [intensive care unit] wing. Additionally, we've seen significant improvement in quality and patient satisfaction scores. Overall, we have had a $5 million turnaround year to date.
The financial turnaround has really come from growing revenue. I think people have seen a difference in how they are treated at this hospital. The community has embraced it, the physicians have embraced it and we're just going in a positive direction.
Q: What are your main focuses at Beauregard Memorial for the rest of the year?
NT: We're going to continue physician recruitment where needed and promote new services in the community. We're going to partner with the schools and local industry to promote health and wellness while continuing to focus on quality and patient satisfaction. Overall, we will continue to work to make Beauregard Memorial Hospital the hospital of choice in southwest Louisiana.
Q: As a hospital CEO in your thirties, what challenges come along with being a young CEO? How do you work to overcome them?
NT: I believe that young hospital CEOs, at least my experience, [face] the same challenges of any hospital CEO. I think people are looking for a leader who will be accountable, hold others accountable, offer praise where warranted and lead by example and with integrity.
When it comes to the challenge of the generation gap, it's been my experience that young leaders should be respectful of those who came before them. We need to be effective listeners to everyone and listen to those people who have wisdom.
Q: What are the benefits of being a young hospital CEO?
NT: I believe that I have a lot of energy and am very progressive. I have innovative ways to improve and expand services and I don't procrastinate when putting plans into action when it's best for the hospital and the community.
Q: What is the best advice you've ever received?
NT: The best advice I've ever received about being a hospital leader is always put the patient first. If you put the patient first, everything else will fall into place. My focus is on kindness, compassion and common sense. If these are at the forefront, you will see very positive results. I always try to put myself or someone in my family in the patient's shoes. Really, it's the golden rule: treat people how you want to be treated.
Q: Any future career goals you can share?
NT: I just want to be an effective and positive leader at Beauregard Memorial Hospital.