New Physician Signs Contract with TCMH

Texas County Memorial Hospital has inked a four-year contract with Amanda Lemp, DO, a family medicine and obstetrics physician, board members heard at their monthly meeting.

Lemp is a graduate of Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Smith, AR. She is currently in her second year at Spectrum Health Lakeland Family Medicine Residency in Saint Joseph, MI.  She will join TCMH as a full-time employed physician in August 2024 after her residency program ends.  Lemp, and her fiancé, Andrew, plan to relocate to Texas County.

Lemp will practice family medicine with inpatients and outpatients from birth to the end of life, including practicing obstetrics with surgical privileges.

“Dr. Lemp is the type of person that would have been welcome at any hospital and community in the nation,” Stace Holland, chief executive officer at TCMH, said. “We are blessed to have recruited a physician of Dr. Lemp’s caliber, and she will be a tremendous asset to our healthcare system.”

Helania Wulff, TCMH director of physician recruitment, detailed additional current recruiting efforts. A family medicine physician from Washington State will visit the hospital this week.

“We are actively seeking another internal medicine physician and another general surgeon,” Wulff said. “Screening interviews are ongoing with potential candidates.”

According to Wulff, Jonathan Carr, MD, an internal medicine physician, who recently signed a contract with TCMH began seeing patients part-time at the Medical Office Complex in Houston last week.

“We are very fortunate to have Dr. Carr at our Houston Clinic who specializes in adult medicine and helps patients with multiple, complex chronic conditions,” Wulff said. “He has been an essential factor in the reopening of our intensive care unit this month.”

Wulff explained that recruiting efforts for a full-time physician for the TCMH Family Clinic in Licking are also ongoing.

April Crites, TCMH quality and risk management director, presented the recent patient satisfaction scores.  She applauded the hospital’s housekeeping department for continually excelling with hospital cleanliness which consistently receives high patient satisfaction scores.

“Our housekeeping department ranked in the 99 percentile and outperformed 2,335 hospitals in our region,” Crites said. “They are consistent and deliver noteworthy results.”

Crites said the report also reflected “great nursing communication scores” which included treating patients with courtesy and respect, listening carefully, and explaining things in an understandable way.

“Our patient satisfaction scores for our nursing overall are excellent,” Crites said. Currently, communication by nurses with patients is at 97 percent (out of 100 percent).  Overall, TCMH nursing has a 96 percent score in the seven-state region of 2,335 hospitals.

Holland reported that the four-bed intensive care unit has successfully reopened on the first floor.

“We are happy to keep our acutely ill and injured patients close to home and be cared for in the hospital’s intensive care unit,” Holland said. “This unit is staffed with specially trained healthcare professionals who provide around-the-clock monitoring and medical care for our patients with life-threatening conditions.”

Holland reported that the four-bed ICU has held two to three patients daily since it reopened.

Holland reported that the semi-annual community leadership meeting held on May 19 went well.

“This meeting was a great opportunity for area mayors, city administrators, Texas County commissioners and public administrator, schools, and government representatives to partner and work together with the hospital for the betterment of our communities,” Holland said. “We were very pleased with the attendance, valuable input, and positive efforts toward working together.”

Linda Pamperien, TCMH chief financial officer, presented the April financials. Overall revenues were down by $504,293 from budgeted expectations for the month.

According to Pamperien, expenses at the hospital were down again this month, but the hospital ended the month of April with a negative bottom line of $133,399 and a year-to-date loss of $1,056,270.

Present at the meeting were Holland; Wulff; Crites; Pamperien; Courtney Owens, chief nursing officer; Hollis Tidmore, MD, vice chief of staff; board members, Steve Pierce; Joleen Durham; Jim Perry, OD; Allen Branstetter; Ross Richardson.

The next meeting of the TCMH board of trustees is Tuesday, June 27 at 12 p.m. in the hospital board room.