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Regional Medical Center reports rapid growth in first year under county ownership
Summary
Hospital executives reported a 49% increase in average daily census and notable rises in emergency, trauma and surgical volumes in Regional Medical Center’s first year since county acquisition; county leaders said the hospital is keeping quality measures within benchmarks while planning an ED expansion to add 20 beds.
Nari Singh, hospital executive at Regional Medical Center, told the committee the facility’s first year under county ownership saw meaningful increases across service lines: "The average daily census has grown by 49%." He highlighted increases in emergency department visits (up about 29%), trauma activations (up roughly 48%), stroke activations up 44% and STEMI activations up 27%. Singh also said the birth center recorded 46 deliveries in the most recent month and about 250 births since reopening.
Vinod Sharma, the system chief financial officer, reviewed finances and said revenue improvements driven by higher volumes and coding/charge‑capture changes have helped offset expense variances; he said the county investment for operations is expected to be within plan for the fiscal year with projected year‑end variance of $10–15 million depending on volumes. Singh and Sharma said quality process measures for stroke and STEMI met national benchmarks and operating room cancellation rates remained low.
Committee members praised the operational turnaround and asked how lessons from Regional’s ramp‑up might be applied systemwide. Singh said location, local demand and systemwide standardization helped drive the quick ramp. The presentation also included construction updates: staff said the ED expansion is progressing and aims to bring 20 additional beds online (adding to a current 37) with phased openings; construction staging expects some sections available for patients in late 2026 and full buildout by early 2027.
The committee voted to receive the report and requested future updates on benchmarks, the McKee Clinic tenancy and progress of the ED expansion.
