Jeff Davis Hospital serves as the primary healthcare provider for Hazlehurst and surrounding Jeff Davis County, delivering essential healthcare services through a dedicated team committed to community wellness. As a designated Critical Access Hospital, it plays a vital role in ensuring healthcare accessibility for this rural region while maintaining strong connections to larger regional medical centers.
Jeff Davis Hospital operates a well-maintained facility providing both inpatient and outpatient services, with resources appropriately scaled to serve the community's healthcare needs.
Facility Size:
52,026 total square feet with dedicated clinical areas
Operating Rooms:
1 surgical suite (2,952 sq. ft.) supporting essential surgical services
Laboratory Services:
Comprehensive lab (2,156 sq. ft.) providing diagnostic testing
Clinical Activity Metrics:
Average daily census: 5.7 patients
Average length of stay: 3.99 days
Bed utilization rate: 23%
Annual discharges: 328 patients
Estimated annual emergency visits: 3,218
Case Mix Index: 1.27 (indicating moderate complexity of cases)
Quality Metrics:
Readmission rate (all cause hospital-wide): 14.80%
Cost per discharge significantly below state average ($5,371 vs. state average of $10,039)
As the healthcare anchor for the community, Jeff Davis Hospital offers a strategic range of essential services designed to meet the majority of local healthcare needs while ensuring appropriate transfers for highly specialized care.
Emergency Services – 24/7 emergency care handling over 3,200 visits annually, provided by qualified emergency physicians and specially trained nursing staff, equipped for a full spectrum of emergencies from minor injuries to life-threatening conditions
Inpatient Medical/Surgical Care – Acute care services for patients requiring hospitalization, with particularly strong capabilities in medical (CMI 1.18) and select surgical cases (CMI 7.84), featuring private rooms and personalized care plans
Swing Bed Program – Transitional care services for patients no longer requiring acute hospitalization but still needing skilled nursing and rehabilitation services, allowing community members to remain close to family during recovery
Surgical Services – Essential surgical procedures performed by qualified surgeons, with the case mix index of 7.84 indicating capability for handling more complex surgical cases than typically seen in many Critical Access Hospitals
Diagnostic Imaging – Comprehensive imaging services supporting both emergency and routine care needs, functioning as an essential diagnostic resource for local healthcare providers
Laboratory Services – Full-service laboratory providing timely and accurate diagnostic testing, supporting both inpatient and outpatient care with modern equipment and skilled technologists
Outpatient Services – Robust outpatient capabilities representing the majority of the hospital's clinical activity, with outpatient revenue of $62.2 million compared to inpatient revenue of $15.1 million
The hospital benefits from experienced leadership guiding operations and strategic development.
Administrative Leadership:
Barry Bloom – Chief Executive Officer
Kristi Williams – Chief Operations Officer
Brian Fowler – Chief Information Officer
Christy Lashley – HIM Director
Leadership Philosophy:
Commitment to maintaining critical healthcare services locally
Focus on operational efficiency as demonstrated by significantly lower costs per discharge
Investment in technology infrastructure reflecting modern healthcare requirements
Strong health information management presence supporting quality documentation
Strategic partnerships with larger healthcare systems ensure patients receive appropriate levels of care for all medical needs.
Health Information Exchange Participation:
Connected through Carequality and HealtHIE Georgia Corporation
Enabling streamlined information sharing with referral centers
Regional Referral Patterns:
Primary referral relationships with:
Memorial Health University Medical Center
Memorial Health Meadows Hospital
Coffee Regional Medical Center
Appling HealthCare System
Memorial Satilla Health
Patient Origin Data:
91% of patients from Hazlehurst (31539)
9% from Lumber City (31549)
Strategic location serving as primary healthcare resource for Jeff Davis County
Understanding the hospital's financial and payor landscape provides context for the practice environment physicians would experience.
Payor Mix:
Private/Self Pay/Other: 87.2% of net patient revenue
Medicare: 7.8% of net patient revenue
Medicaid: 5.0% of net patient revenue
Commercial Insurance Breakdown:
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Healthcare Plan of Georgia: 21.8% of patients
Centene Corporation: 19.4% of patients
UnitedHealthcare: 18.6% of patients
Humana Group: 8.4% of patients
Medicaid: 7.0% of patients
Financial Stability:
Total assets: $24.8 million
Strong cash position: $8.4 million (124.7 days cash on hand)
Favorable current ratio: 2.7
Current debt to equity ratio: 0.2
Annual medical and surgical supply costs: $2.15 million
The hospital maintains modern technological infrastructure supporting clinical care and operational effectiveness.
Electronic Health Record: Azalea EMR
IT Investment: $633,822 operating budget and $184,975 capital budget
Technology Breadth: Rated as "Strong"
Health Information Management: Strong leadership presence
Group Purchasing Organizations:
HealthTrust Performance Group (Primary GPO)
Vizient
Vizient - Southern Strategic Sourcing Partners
The hospital maintains a strategically sized medical staff supplemented by visiting specialists to ensure comprehensive care capabilities.
Medical Staff Composition:
29 primary affiliated physicians
101 secondary affiliated providers
Complemented by advanced practice providers
Top Referring Providers:
Rilla Highsmith – Nurse Practitioner
Robson Spinola – Podiatry
Robert Collins – Cardiology
Jason Laney – Internal Medicine
Angela Burkett – Nurse Practitioner
Practice Environment:
Collaborative approach between primary care and specialists
Focus on appropriate utilization of resources
Modern electronic documentation system
Culture valuing both quality care and efficiency
As a Critical Access Hospital (CAH), Jeff Davis Hospital operates under a specialized federal designation that recognizes its essential role in maintaining healthcare access for rural communities. This designation provides unique advantages for both the hospital and the physicians who practice there.
Critical Mission: Critical Access Hospitals were established through federal legislation to ensure that rural communities maintain access to essential healthcare services that might otherwise be economically unsustainable.
Qualifying Characteristics:
Located in rural areas or communities designated as rural for healthcare purposes
Situated more than 35 miles from another hospital (or 15 miles in areas with mountainous terrain or secondary roads)
Provides 24-hour emergency services to the community
Limited to 25 inpatient beds, ensuring focused care delivery
Average length of stay of 96 hours or less for acute care patients
Financial Advantages:
CAHs receive cost-based reimbursement for Medicare services rather than the prospective payment systems used for larger hospitals
This reimbursement structure helps ensure financial sustainability despite lower patient volumes
CAHs may participate in the 340B Drug Pricing Program, providing access to reduced pharmaceutical costs
Physician Practice Benefits:
More personalized practice environment with manageable patient volumes
Greater influence on hospital operations and strategic planning
Broader scope of practice than often available in larger facilities
Meaningful role in ensuring healthcare access for underserved populations
Opportunity to practice full-spectrum medicine with appropriate support
Community Impact:
CAHs like Jeff Davis Hospital serve as essential healthcare anchors for their communities
Their presence reduces travel burdens for rural residents seeking medical care
They typically provide emergency stabilization with transfer relationships to larger facilities when needed
CAHs often serve as major employers and economic drivers in rural communities
Jeff Davis Hospital exemplifies the Critical Access Hospital model, providing essential services to Jeff Davis County while maintaining the financial sustainability necessary for continued operations. For physicians, practicing at a CAH offers the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in healthcare access while enjoying the benefits of a more manageable and personalized practice environment.
For physicians considering the $315,000+ position at Jeff Davis Hospital, several contextual factors enhance the opportunity's value.
Competitive Compensation – Salary package of $315,000+ represents exceptional value when combined with the area's cost of living being approximately 30% below national average, effectively increasing purchasing power significantly
Scope of Practice – Opportunity to practice with broader clinical scope than often permitted in larger systems, with case mix data indicating meaningful clinical complexity
Hospital Financial Context – Strong balance sheet with substantial cash reserves and low debt ratio creates stable practice environment despite operational challenges common to rural facilities
Community Impact – As the primary healthcare provider for Jeff Davis County, physicians have opportunity to make significant difference in community health outcomes and accessibility
Professional Development – Rural setting often allows faster advancement to leadership roles for physicians demonstrating interest and capability in administrative aspects
Quality of Life Equation – The combination of exceptional compensation, affordable living costs, and reduced commuting time creates opportunity for financial security while maintaining work-life balance
Jeff Davis Hospital represents a unique opportunity for physicians seeking a practice environment where they can make a genuine difference in a supportive community setting while enjoying financial advantages rarely found in metropolitan settings. As a Critical Access Hospital with strong fundamentals despite rural healthcare challenges, it offers the satisfaction of providing essential care to an appreciative community while maintaining connections to larger healthcare systems when needed.
