McMinnville, OR (May 11, 2011) – Dan Ordyna has been named Chief Executive Officer for Willamette Valley Medical Center (WVMC) by the hospital’s Board of Trustees and Capella Healthcare, effective June 1.  He is to move into the role following the retirement of long-time CEO Rosemari Davis, who retires on June 1.

The announcement was made jointly today by Dr. Marion Hull, Chairman of the hospital’s Board of Trustees, and Mark Medley, President of the Hospital Division of Capella Healthcare, of which WVMC is a part.

“With the challenges and opportunities the healthcare industry is facing during the coming years, having the right leaders in place is more vital than ever before, which is why we conducted a nationwide search for the new CEO,” Medley said.  “Dan’s experience, passion for excellence, leadership savvy, and intimate knowledge of WVMC and the region uniquely position him to lead the hospital in building upon its past achievements to ensure its future success.”

With 10 years of progressive experience in varied healthcare leadership roles, Ordyna has for the past five years been Chief Operating Officer of WVMC.  Prior to joining WVMC, he was Corporate Director of Development with Triad Hospitals in Dallas, TX.  Before that he was Administrator of Desert Samaritan Surgery Center in Mesa, AZ and also worked with HealthSouth Corporation. 

Ordyna completed both his undergraduate and masters’ degrees in accountancy at Brigham Young University.  Additionally, he earned his Juris Doctorate from University of Idaho College of Law.

Active in the McMinnville community, Ordyna is a Charter Representative of the Boy Scouts of America, serves on the boards of McMinnville’s Kid’s on the Block–After School Program and on WVMC’s Cancer Center Foundation.  He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), the nation’s leading professional society for healthcare leaders.  Dan and his wife Holly have five children, Kambree, 13; McKay, 11; Hunter, 8; and twin sons Benson and Brigham, 4.

“We certainly want to take this opportunity to thank Rosemari Davis again for her life-long commitment to serving others and for leading WVMC for the past 16 years,” said Dr. Hull.  “Rosemari will continue to be in and out of the hospital over the next several weeks providing continued support to Dan and the entire organization in midst of the transition.  We look forward to celebrating Rosemari’s career and service at WVMC with her, her family and hospital associates at a reception being planned for June 23.” 

About Willamette Valley Medical Center

Willamette Valley Medical Center (WVMC) is an 88-bed acute-care, full-service facility, fully accredited by The Joint Commission. The hospital employs over 400 people at its current modern facility, which was built in 1996.  WVMC features a 24-hour Emergency Department with round-the-clock imaging and laboratory services, a 63-bed Medical/Surgical unit and a 19-bed Critical Care Unit. WVMC also provides a host of other services including a full spectrum of inpatient and outpatient Surgical Services, a family Birthing Center, Endoscopy, Cardiac Cath Lab, Cardio Pulmonary Services, Breast Center,  Sleep Lab,  and Therapy Services. In addition, the hospital offers specialty services in the H. R. Hoover, MD, Cancer Center and the Wound Care Center. 

About Capella Healthcare

WVMC is a part of Capella Healthcare, which partners with communities to build strong local healthcare systems that are known for quality patient care. Based in Franklin, Tenn., Capella owns and/or operates 13 general acute-care hospitals in seven states. With the philosophy that all healthcare is local, Capella collaborates with each hospital’s medical staff, board and community leadership to take care to the next level. The company has access to significant leadership and financial resources, reinvesting 100% of net cash flow into its family of hospitals to strengthen and expand services and facilities.

 

May 17, 2011

By Nicole Montesano of the News-Register

After heading the Willamette Valley Medical Center for 17 years, Chief Executive Officer Rosemari Davis, 64, has announced her retirement, effective June 1. She will be replaced by Chief Operating Officer Dan Ordyna, 38.

Ordyna joined the Tennessee-based Capella Healthcare network working as corporate director of development for Triad Hospitals in Plano, Texas, helping manage a surgery center in Arizona and working for HealthSouth Corp. in Birmingham, Ala. He assumed the COO post in McMinnville five years ago.

Davis, who will be honored at a reception on June 23, began her career as a candy striper before training as a nurse.

She headed two other hospitals before moving to McMinnville in 1994, to oversee construction of the Willamette Valley Medical Center, an expansion of the former McMinnville Community Hospital. She and her husband plan to remain in the area, she said.

Her employees surprised her Thursday by voting her Leader of the Year at the hospital's annual celebration of National Hospital Week.

Each year, hospital employees nominate members of the staff for the honor and past winners make a selection. Each year, Davis opens the envelopes and reads the winner's name.

When she opened the envelope Thursday, she got a surprise.

"It was probably the only time I have not had a speech ready in my life," she said. "It was a lovely recognition."

Davis said that she informed the hospital's board of trustees last August that she planned to retire early this summer. She said she kept members of her staff informed, but didn't want to go public until the board settled on a successor.

She recommended that Ordyna be considered in the course of a national search, and the company agreed. The search, which got under way in January, culminated May 6 in Ordyna's selection.

Forty-five years ago, women's career choices were largely limited to nursing and teaching. Davis chose nursing. She said she wanted to help people.

She had worked as a candy striper at an air base hospital in Germany when her father was stationed there as a fighter pilot.

"I loved the experience," she said. She worked in radiology and various nursing departments, and enjoyed every one of them, she said.

Her father claims part of the credit, though. "He says he influenced me by bringing several first lieutenant nurses to dinner," she said. "It might be true."

Leaving her family behind in Germany, where her father still had two years to go, Davis attended Barnes Hospital School of Nursing in St. Louis, Missouri. She became a registered nurse in 1967.

It's been years, now, since she attended patients at their bedsides. But Davis said that experience was invaluable.

"I have used my nursing knowledge every day of my career," she said. "It was a huge asset."

Even today, she said, "few come up the ranks from a clinical position." But that background, she said, gave her invaluable insights.

"I knew I wanted to create a situation where clinicians collaborated more," she said. "One thing I'm very proud of is that in this hospital, doctors, nurses and other clinicians work in tandem as a well-oiled machine.

"The end product of that is better patient care. The more fragmented you are, the harder it is to deliver the best care."

Davis said she selects her staff with care, looking not only for "the best and brightest," but also people who will function well as a member of a team.

"One of my mottos in training is, 'No gods allowed,'" she said. "Doctors can't be gods. They're team players. I can't be a goddess, either. Egos just get in the way of providing good care."

Davis said other points of pride include making sure the hospital always has the newest and best equipment.

"Technology is nothing more than the tools doctors and technicians use," she said. "If you have great tools, you can do a great job. If you have good tools, you can do a good job. If you have bad tools, the job just doesn't get done."

She is also proud to have recruited "more than 100 physicians to this community."

An efficient, organized person, Davis didn't take long to begin moving up. She served as assistant head nurse at Herrin Hospital in Herrin, Ill., from 1968 to 1971, then nursing supervisor at the Marion VA Hospital, in Marion, Ill., from 1971 to 1976.

She taught briefly, then served as director of nursing at two hospitals. In the mid-'80s, she become assistant administrator at St. Peters Hospital in St. Peters, Missouri.

Along the way, she earned a master's degree in administration.

"My boss said, 'You are functioning as an administrator. You have all the clinical departments. Have you thought about getting your master's degree and turning to the dark side?'

"I brought home the idea, and the family talked about it. I felt it would be a good thing," she recalled.

Administration suited her as well as that long ago Candy Striper work. "I'm very comfortable in my shoes," she said.

Davis recalled that one year, her children gave her a gift certificate for a massage.

The masseuse took a look at her job title on the paperwork, and remarked that she must be badly stressed. "I said, 'No, I don't think so,' and he said, 'Oh, you are; you just don't know it,'" she said.

"After the massage, he said, 'You're right; you're not tense,'" she said. "For me, it's not stress. I love what I do."

She said she had entertained thoughts of retirement on and off for about five years, but "just never was quite ready to stop working." She said she couldn't explain why the moment finally arrived.

"Someone told me a long time ago, 'You'll know when it's the right time,'" she said. That must be it, she said.

Davis plans to start by sleeping in, spending more time with her children and grandchildren, and traveling more with her husband.

But she doesn't foresee ever quite giving up her interest in medicine. She worries over how new laws and upcoming budget cuts will affect patient care.

"When I look at the future, my successor's challenge is going to be providing the growing senior population's access to health care with fewer dollars," she said. "That's where the rubber meets the road. How are we going to do that? We want to be supportive of the federal goal to reduce the deficit, but we also have a responsibility to our patients."

And while she may not be the one making the hard decisions, she said, "Even as a private citizen, I intend to stand up for the rights of the people who need health care."

Inpatient satisfaction ranks above national average; 99% core measures score; Physician satisfaction above national norm.

Each year, Willamette Valley Medical Center participates in surveys mandated by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), intended to make important data available to consumers. Recent results from a Fall 2010 Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) report shows that inpatient scores for overall satisfaction with care are well above the national average. Patients also rate WVMC higher than the national norm for communication with nurses, pain management and discharge information.

The fact that the hospital provides high quality care is further confirmed by core measures scores for care to patients with heart attacks, congestive heart failure, pneumonia, and surgery. These measures, meant to ensure patients receive the care they need when faced with these health events, rate actual care. The medical center’s composite score for these measures was 99% out of a possible 100%.

Other results from Physician Satisfaction surveys from October 2010 show that WVMC’s medical staff is extremely happy with the hospital, with their Overall Satisfaction and Overall Satisfaction with Nursing ratings above the national norm.

Local surgeon Erik Swensson, MD, FACS, has been named Chief Medical Officer of Capella Healthcare, Inc., the parent company of Willamette Valley Medical Center.

The position is new and has been structured so that Dr. Swensson will be able to continue practicing medicine at the Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Clinic while serving simultaneously in the corporate role. 

As chief medical officer, Dr. Swensson assumes senior leadership responsibility for facilitating the work of Capella’s National Physician Leadership Group. He will also be charged with providing leadership for Capella’s affiliated hospitals’ quality and service excellence initiatives, as well as for ongoing communication with staff.

“Dr. Swensson is the ideal individual for this role in our growing company,” said Dan Slipkovich, Capella’s Chief Executive Officer. Rosemari Davis, Chief Executive Officer of Willamette Valley Medical Center, called the appointment “a welcome recognition of Dr. Swensson’s passion for patient care and excellent physician skills.”

Dr. Swensson has practiced in McMinnville since 1998, serving in leadership positions within the hospital and in the community. He was the first president of the Willamette Valley Cancer Foundation, a non-profit that provides support to low-income cancer patients.

Dr. Swensson earned his medical degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1979, with honors. He completed his general surgery internship and residency with the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, where he was selected as Chief Surgical Resident. He also completed a vascular surgery fellowship at St. Louis University in 1985. He has earned board certification in general surgery and vascular surgery from the American Board of Surgery, as well as completing extensive education and training in wound care and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

First quarter data for the Joint Replacement Institute reveals that, of patients surveyed, 80 percent were extremely satisfied and 100 percent would recommend the Institute to family and friends.

Open since June 2010, the Institute has received high marks from hip and knee replacement patients and their families.

Natalie Reed, Joint Care Coordinator, said she is pleased with the results and said they are a testament to the hard work by hospital staff and commitment by the patients. She cites pre-operative education and preparation, as well as coordinated care, as crucial reasons why patients have been so happy with their experiences.

Reed said the most notable data includes patient recovery and discharge rates. She said, on average, patients stay in the hospital three days and 75 percent of the patients go from the hospital to home, where they can recover in the comfort of a familiar environment.

“Patients are so well prepared for surgery that it pays off afterward,” said Reed. “They are walking farther without rest and their range of motion is improving.”

Reed said the Institute can accommodate up to six patients at a time. Since opening in June 2010, it has averaged nearly four patients per week.
“With a small units we are able to give more one-on-one time,” said Reed. “I am extremely satisfied with how our staff can anticipate and meet patients’ needs.”

If you are considering hip or knee replacement surgery and would like to learn more about the Joint Replacement Institute, visit www.wvmcweb.com.

When the Willamette Valley Medical Center Cancer Center was built in 2002, the goal was to have radiation and medical oncology in one area so that staff could work cohesively. The Willamette Valley Cancer Foundation was created in tandem to provide for needs of cancer patients who may be struggling financially during treatment and to assist with other resources.

The Willamette Valley Medical Center Cancer Center has been renamed the H. R. Hoover, MD Cancer Center in honor of Dr. Joe Hoover, who passed away on November 30, 2010, at the age of 61. There will be a ceremony commemorating the name change in the spring.

Dr. Hoover practiced general surgery with Physicians Medical Center and was a devoted staff member to Willamette Valley Medical Center for 25 years. He served as Chair of the Cancer Committee and Interim Chief of Surgery and Anesthesia. He volunteered his services on several other hospital committees and medical staff projects and never turned down an opportunity to improve patient care.

Dr. Hoover was a humble, private man who did not seek any recognition for his contributions. He loved his work and the numerous individuals who shared his passion for medical care. He believed in service and offering a helping hand to those in need, including strongly supporting education. A public celebration of Dr. Hoover’s life was held at the hospital in December. He was a integral part of our community and medical family and he will be remembered by colleagues, staff, and patients alike.