Jeff Brickman, CEO of Central Maine Healthcare, says its prognosis is improving

Jeff Brickman took over as president and CEO of Central Maine Healthcare in Lewiston in September 2016, and has weathered “no-confidence” votes from doctors at the system’s three hospitals (Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, Rumford and Bridgton hospitals), a possible loss of Medicaid funding at CMMC and more.

Now, both staff and patient numbers are up, and the system has seen a financial turnaround. Brickman sat down with Mainebiz recently to talk about how the health care system is doing.

Mainebiz: It’s been a rough couple of years. What contributed to the issues, and where do things stand?

Jeff Brickman: You’re right. We went through a period of enormous change necessary to save an unsustainable, financially drowning system, and the change-management process was rocky. Some of our medical staff objected to the hard and necessary changes we put into place — things like standardizing contracts, replacing our electronic medical record and financial right-sizing. Add some negative media coverage, an effort in the Lake Region to destabilize our system and later regulatory issues, and you’ve got the perfect storm. But we’re coming out of it. We’re starting to see a financial turnaround — our cash on hand has rebounded, admissions, surgeries and patient visits are up, we’ve hired 118 providers and 130 nurses and our physician turnover rate has dropped from about 27% to 4%. We’ve received numerous quality awards and accreditations. We’re now investing in human capital and facilities, expanding our footprint in Maine and able to start executing on our strategy and vision.

MB: You’ve been in health care for 39 years. What’s the attraction?

JB: I come from a family of caregivers. My grandfather was a family doctor — I used to do his house call rounds with him in the Boston suburbs, where he served the immigrant communities. My grandmother was a World War II nurse and my father an orthopedist. They inspired me. I realized during the second semester of organic chemistry that maybe med school wasn’t for me, but I fit perfectly in health care leadership. Since then, every hospital and system I’ve been to has presented new challenges — how to provide the best care for the communities we served — and those challenges energized me.

MB: What brought you to Maine?

JB: I’m a New Englander and this is home. The challenge of turning around this historic and important organization — a critical asset and part of the community for nearly 140 years — really attracted me. I knew I could make a difference.

MB: What are the biggest challenges, and are there any unique to rural Maine?

JB: The fundamental model of health care in Maine needs to evolve from expensive, inconvenient, hospital-based care, to a distributed network of care that’s more accessible and lower-cost. Most patients in rural Maine have to cover long distances to receive care and, in an aging demographic, that’s not sustainable. And care in the four walls of a hospital is expensive. CMH is breaking the mold and pursuing a vision of providing care to Mainers near their homes, jobs and schools. Meanwhile, we’re re-investing in our tertiary flagship hospital in Lewiston to make sure patients can access more complex levels of care. Finally, employers in Maine tell us they can’t recruit workers to a rural state without a good infrastructure, including health care. That’s a challenge we can help with.

MB: What’s the best way to recruit out-of-state professionals to rural Maine?

JB: Maine offers so much in terms of a beautiful environment, outdoor recreation, tight-knit communities and low cost of living. We also tout CMH’s mission, vision and values, which are very attractive to the idealistic and talented folks we recruit.

MB: As a huge Red Sox fan, particularly of Carl Yastrzemski, what lessons from Yaz’s career have you brought to yours?

JB: To keep going. In 23 years of a brilliant career, Yaz saw some triumph and success with the Red Sox, but as any Sox fan will tell you, there were plenty of years, not so much. But he went to the ballpark every day.