Hospital CEO resigning

Wesselman will likely continue working until May

Published Friday, February 29, 2008

NATCHEZ — The Natchez Regional Hospital Board of Trustees is looking for a new CEO.

At Tuesday’s board meeting, CEO Jeff Wesselman announced his plans to resign.

Board attorney Walter Brown said Wesselman will likely continue working at the hospital until May.

Brown said Wesselman’s leaving will closely coincide with the end of Quorum’s management of the hospital.

In 1992 Quorum Health Resources was hired to manage the hospital, in 2004 their contract was extended to 2009. Wesselman is employed by Quorum.

Former CFO Mike Anderson was also employed by Quorum and he left the hospital approximately three weeks ago.

On Tuesday the hospital board voted to terminate the contract early.

While Brown said the board is very fond of Wesselman, the search for his replacement is already under way.

Interviews with possible replacements have already been scheduled for as early as next week.

Some on the board said the hospital’s contract with Quorum was simply too costly to continue.

Brown said the cost, approximately $225,000 per year, did factor into the board’s decision.

Quorum’s regional vice president Chip Holmes said he was not aware that his company’s contract had been terminated until reading it in the newspaper Wednesday morning.

As far as Wesselman’s future with Quorum, Holmes said is extremely proud of the work Wesselman has done for the company.

“We want him to remain a QHR employee,” he said.

But what the hospital must to do remain functional is not yet known.

Brown recommended that a consulting firm that deals primarily with the healthcare industry be brought in to give the hospital a set of options.

Wesselman said the hospital is very open to any solution to its problems.

Wesselman said he will not rule out any options that will benefit the hospital.

Bankruptcy, lease or sale of the facility and conversion to a non-profit entity were discussed as possible solutions to the hospital’s problems on Tuesday.

The board has no known timetable to have a decided course of action, however, Brown said swift action was needed.