Hospitalist Signs Three-Year Contract

Texas County Memorial Hospital has signed a three-year contract with Sabera Shabnam, MD, a family medicine physician, board members heard at their monthly meeting on Tuesday.

Shabnam will join the TCMH medical staff as a part-time hospitalist beginning in July, providing care for patients in both the intensive care unit and the medical-surgical unit.

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Shabnam to our medical staff,” Bridges said. “Her experience and dedication to quality patient care will enhance the services we provide to patients throughout our community.”

Dr. Shabnam brings more than 14 years of experience practicing in the Branson area with CoxHealth. A family medicine physician with extensive internal medicine experience, she will help provide inpatient care for hospitalized patients at TCMH.

April Crites, TCMH quality and risk management director, reported continued improvements in patient satisfaction scores across several departments. Inpatient survey scores increased by more than 2.5 percent overall, with “top box” scores rising eight percent. Top box scores represent the percentage of patients who selected the highest possible rating when responding to patient satisfaction surveys, making them an important indicator of exceptional patient experiences and quality care. Outpatient surgery scores also improved by six percent overall and one percent in top box rankings.

“We are encouraged by the continued improvement in our patient satisfaction scores, especially in our inpatient and ambulatory surgery areas,” Crites said. “These results reflect the hard work and dedication our staff shows every day to provide compassionate, quality care to our patients and their families.”

While emergency department satisfaction scores saw a slight decline, Crites noted the decrease appeared largely related to wait times. Crites explained that while the patient surveys reflected dissatisfaction with wait times, the TCMH emergency department wait times are competitive compared to surrounding healthcare facilities.

“Even with the slight decrease in emergency department scores, we received a number of positive comments from patients specifically recognizing staff members for the care they provided,” Crites said.

Crites shared that six emergency department employees were specifically mentioned in patient comments during the reporting period. “That feedback speaks volumes about the compassion and professionalism of our team.”

Courtney Owens, TCMH chief nursing officer, provided an update on the hospital’s recent three-year stroke recertification survey. Owens reported that Jason Mayberry, TCMH education director and stroke coordinator, led the review process which was conducted by several staff members. The review included the examination of more than 32 patient charts from patients that presented to TCMH with stroke symptoms. Preliminary findings indicated no deficiencies were identified during the survey.

“Our staff does an excellent job following stroke protocols and preparing for these surveys,” Owens said. “The amount of time and effort that goes into maintaining stroke certification reflects the commitment our team has to providing high-quality care for patients in our communities.”

Bridges also discussed the Rural Health Transformation Program and the development of 27 regional healthcare hubs across the state. The federally funded, state-led initiative is designed to reorganize rural health care into coordinated, multicounty regions to better align services and respond to local health needs.

According to the plan, each hub will bring together hospitals, clinics, EMS, pharmacies, and community-based organizations to improve access to care and strengthen coordination across the region. A designated hub anchor will serve as the neutral convener, coordinating partners, supporting governance, and ensuring integration of clinical and community services.

Bridges noted that the counties included in TCMH’s hub are Texas, Howell, Wright, Ozark, and Douglas counties.

“This program represents both opportunity and challenge as we work through the structure of regional hubs and funding mechanisms,” Bridges said. “Our focus remains on ensuring that TCMH is positioned to continue meeting the healthcare needs of our communities while advocating for resources that support rural hospitals.”

In addition, TCMH housekeeping staff recently received national recognition from Becker’s Hospital Review, which named the hospital among the cleanest hospitals in the United States and one of only nine hospitals in the state of Missouri.

“This recognition is a direct reflection of the pride, professionalism, and attention to detail our housekeeping team brings to their work every single day,” Bridges remarked. “Their commitment plays a vital role in patient safety and the overall experience of care at TCMH.”

Hospital administration celebrated the recognition with housekeeping staff, praising their continued commitment to patient care, safety and maintaining a clean environment for patients and visitors.

Linda Pamperien, TCMH chief financial officer, presented the April financials, which reflected an increase of $380,504 in overall revenues from budgeted monthly expectations.

“Our outpatient revenue increased $705,404, an 8.7 percent increase and our inpatient revenue decreased $278,029, a 19.9 percent decrease from our budgeted monthly expectations,” Pamperien said.

According to Pamperien, the hospital had 75 admissions in April, down 25 admissions from the same time frame in 2025, with 352 admissions year-to-date.

The financial report reflected a negative bottom line for April, with a decrease of $524,296 and a year-to-date loss of $536,668. Earnings before interest, depreciation, and amortization (EBIDA) for the month were negative at $260,934.

Present at the meeting were Bridges; Crites; Owens; Pamperien; Helania Wulff, public relations and marketing; Christopher Baldwin, MD, chief of staff; and board members Jim Perry, OD; Ross Richardson, Joleen Durham, and Jennifer Hugenot. Present via teleconference was board member Jerri Crump.

The next meeting of the TCMH board of trustees is scheduled for Tuesday, June 23, at noon in the hospital board room.