HCMC board hires Seneca administrator as hospital’s CEO

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN DON RATZLAFF
A hospital administrator from Seneca has been hired as the new chief executive officer at Hillsboro Community Medical Center.



Michael Ryan, administrator for the past four years at Nemaha Valley Community Hospital in Seneca, will begin his new assignment at HCMC Sept. 1.



“We are very excited about Michael and his background in administration,” said Carl Long, president of the HCMC board. “We look forward to him becoming a part of the team and organization in September.”



While at Nemaha Valley, Ryan was responsible for 110 employees and an annual budget of $7 million.



The hospital had suffered operating losses for several years, but he led the facility to a financial turnaround in 1997, 1998 and 1999.



Following his lead, the Nemaha hospital recruited a new family practice physician and established a new clinic in a nearby community.



He also initiated an annual charity golf tournament to support the hospital foundation.



Ryan said he is aware of the financial challenges awaiting him at HCMC because of severe cutbacks following the Balanced Budget Act of 1997.



If anything, he said, those challenges attracted him to the job.



“I see that as a learning opportunity and an opportunity to grow,” Ryan said.



“I feel like I’ve been in through a similar situation here at Nemaha Valley, and I hope I’m able to help.”



He said it was too early to know what strategies he might employ to address the financial challenges at HCMC. “I’m going to have to wait to evaluate this situation once I get down there,” Ryan said.



He will inherit a long-term care unit when he comes to HCMC, which will be a new experience for him administratively. But he accepts that challenge as part of his assignment.



“That’s just part of the facility and it’s a part I’ll deal with,” he said.



Ryan began his career as an accountant at Memorial Hospital in Manhattan. From there he moved to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, where he was the director of corporate finance.



In 1986, he became chief financial officer at Riverside Health System, where he worked for 10 years.



Ryan has been active in professional organizations such as the Critical Access Hospital State Network Council, Kansas Hospital Association, and the Kansas Foundation for Medical Care.



He is a graduate of Kansas State and has been involved in many community activities in Seneca, including the Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club and golf board.



He is married to the former Meredith Yauk, of Durham, an independent travel agent who enjoys sewing and quilting. The couple have two grown daughters.



“I am looking forward to working with the dedicated health care team at HCMC. I am committed to making HCMC recognized as the health facility of choice for this area,” he said. “We are very excited about becoming active participants in the community.”

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