UNCBR: CEO wants to 'earn' respect of community, patients

As he greets a visitor to his expansive yet spare office in the administrative suite at UNC Health Blue Ridge Morganton, with a beaming smile and a warm handshake, Gary Paxson seems the very definition of the word “relaxed.”

And over the course of the next hour, as he answers questions about the hospital’s role in the community and the challenges it will face in the future, he seems also the very definition of the words “confident” and “knowledgeable.”

At age 53, Paxson, who has just completed his first year as president and chief executive officer, is lean and fit — he works at a stand-up desk — and he exudes energy, ideas, and enthusiasm as he talks about exploring his new community and meeting the challenges of his new position.

“Absolutely!” Paxson exclaims when asked if he made the right decision in resigning his position as head of the White River Health System in Batesville, Ark., and moving himself and his family to Morganton.

“We love the beauty of the surroundings,” he elaborated, “and the friendliness of the people. And I appreciate so much the opportunity I’ve been given. We are very happy to be here.”

He and his family have enjoyed exploring Burke County and its surroundings and sampling the community’s various restaurants. He serves on the board of Burke Development Inc., and the family recently joined Summit Church in downtown Morganton.

He loves CoMMA and the host of programs it offers, and he loves the fact that Morganton has a lot more amenities than does Batesville.

Before coming to Blue Ridge in 2024, Paxson had said he would begin his tenure here “by doing a lot of listening” and looking for the common messages that emerged.

“The feedback has been fantastic,” he said of that process. “And again and again the primary focus that has emerged is that our people are focused on what will make us better.”

Part of gathering feedback, Paxson said, is having periodic lunches with frontline workers from the hospital’s various departments and getting out and visiting those departments as often as possible.

“I don’t want to just sit in this office,” he explained. “I want to get out and talk with people and listen to people in their natural environments.”

Paxson said he quickly learned that Blue Ridge is an organization with excellent morale and that when he talks to a group of employees, “I can literally feel the energy pulsing in the room.”

That high morale and high energy will be needed, Paxson explained, as the organization faces the realities of oncoming state and national changes in the health care industry.

CHANGES AND CHALLENGES

The “Big, Beautiful (Budget) Bill” proposed by the Trump Administration and approved this summer by Congress is poised to bring sharp reductions in funding for Medicaid, a joint federal and state program that helps cover medical costs for people with limited income and resources.

Also likely to be in flux soon is the insurance plan provided by the state to employees and retirees, with increased premiums and reduced benefits under consideration.

Of these looming changes, Paxson said, “Federal and state lawmakers need to understand that some of these measures that look like they’ll save money could actually cost our society more in the long run.”

What is needed, Paxson said, is a “paradigm shift,” in which the health care industry and those who fund it put “far more emphasis on preventive care than on reactive care,” for reactive care, he noted, “is so much more expensive.”

Paxson added that while some rural health care systems “are barely hanging on,” the past leadership of UNC Health Blue Ridge “has put us in a great position to be able to withstand whatever storms are ahead.”

The UNC Health system, Paxson added, “has a great vision for rural health care in North Carolina, and we are fortunate to be part of that system.”

RELATIONSHIP WITH UNC HEALTH

UNC Health has two types of relationships with local health care facilities, Paxson noted — either outright ownership or management agreements.

UNC Health has a management agreement with Blue Ridge, although “management” is a bit of a misnomer.

“We contract through them for services that are a lot more difficult to do on your own,” Paxson explained.

These services, he continued, included negotiating with insurance companies on acceptable charges for services, negotiating with vendors on lower price points for supplies, and participation in research and clinical trials.

“The great thing about this relationship is that it is not dictatorial,” Paxson said. “Each member organization is allowed to work on what is important to them.”

In the past there has been speculation that UNC will develop Blue Ridge as a regional medical hub, making it home to services that would draw patients from across Western North Carolina.

Is that concept still on the table?

“It’s certainly in the realm of discussion,” Paxson replied. “We’re examining partnerships. We’re looking at ways of collaboratively investing in services.”

NURSING SHORTAGE

One of the challenges to expanding health care services, both locally and across the nation, is an ongoing shortage of nurses.

And, Paxson noted, as the older generation of nurses retires in greater numbers, that shortage is likely to grow worse before it gets better.

“This problem is certainly not unique to us,” Paxson said, “but it certainly makes it incumbent upon us to continue to make this a good place to work, a place where people want to work.”

A national problem, Paxson explained, is that the number of applicants to nursing schools exceeds the number of seats that are available.

Part of the local solution to that problem, Paxson said, is to have more experienced Blue Ridge nurses who are teaching classes at Western Piedmont Community College.

It should be noted that Paxson began his career in the health care profession as a frontline registered nurse, as did his immediate predecessor in the top job at Blue Ridge, Kathy Bailey.

SUMMING UP

Asked to sum up his goals for UNC Health Blue Ridge moving forward, Paxson pondered for a moment and answered, “We want to build an ongoing relationship, a lifetime relationship, with the people we serve.

“We want to earn their respect,” he continued. “We want to maximize the care that we can provide and the comfort they have with that care. We’re not a ‘one and done’ facility. We’re here for the long haul.”

Before moving on to his next appointment, Paxson concluded, “It is a genuine honor to be here. And I appreciate so much this opportunity.”