Becker's Hospital Review

20 CEO / STRATEGY How a North Carolina system is expanding in a competitive market By Kristin Kuchno I n January, CaroMont Health opened its second hospital — and the first in Belmont, N.C. — expanding access in one of the state's fastest-growing and most competitive regions. CaroMont Regional Medical Center-Belmont brings care closer to home for residents who previously traveled to CaroMont Health's main campus in Gastonia or to Charlotte for inpatient care. "It's a high-growth area," Vice President Richard Blackburn told Becker's. "We've been open for about 10 weeks, and it has been an exceptional improvement in access for people in the Belmont community and our eastern market region." e hospital marks the final project in CaroMont Health's $400 million investment in community expansion. e 275,000-square-foot hospital includes 54 beds, 16 emergency department rooms, a labor and delivery unit, a surgical suite and diagnostic and imaging services. e campus also features a 100,000-square-foot medical office building. 3 guiding principles CaroMont Health focused on three primary drivers for the development and launch of its second campus — principles outlined by CEO Chris Peek and the board of directors, Mr. Blackburn said. "No. 1, we want to remain an independent community hospital," he said. "We're in a highly competitive and consolidated market. We value our independence because we are providing care in our local community." e second guiding principle emphasized aligning every decision with the organization's core values: compassion, accountability, reliability, excellence and safety. e third focused on CaroMont Health's vision to be the community's most trusted healthcare partner. Aer identifying Belmont as a location to improve access, leadership established additional success factors to guide the hospital's design and operations. ese focused on five key areas: safety, quality, delivery, cost and people. "We collaborated with nurses, physicians and direct caregivers, and they helped us design the building so that form fit function," Mr. Blackburn said. By involving front-line caregivers early in the process, the system ensured that operational flow supported those most directly affected. ese guiding principles were translated into an operational plan that shaped the facility's design. CaroMont Health is now measuring success based on those original benchmarks, with a focus on recruitment, retention, patient experience and efficient resource utilization. In its first nine weeks, the hospital received more than 30 patient surveys, ranking in the 91st percentile for inpatient experience and the 92nd percentile for emergency department experience. Community partnerships CaroMont Health partnered closely with Belmont Abbey, which includes the college and e Southern Benedictine Society. In 2020, the health system entered an agreement with the latter to lease 28 acres where the hospital now stands. Belmont Abbey College, located near the hospital, also partnered with CaroMont Health to develop a nursing program as part of the college's medical campus. e Abbey has owned the land since 1875 and is one of the largest landowners in CaroMont Health's eastern market, Mr. Blackburn said. While it had received many offers to sell or lease the land over the years, it consistently declined — until now. "is would not have happened without Belmont Abbey," Mr. Blackburn said. "e Abbey could not have been more enthusiastic. Our values as an organization align with theirs, so they embraced the idea with tremendous enthusiasm." Support from the city of Belmont and buy-in from state and federal officials were also critical to the hospital's development. "We believe we can remain an independent, community-based healthcare provider for years to come," Mr. Blackburn said. "We are growing, we're in a great economic environment, but we also know that we have to be highly competitive." n Hospital CEO turnover: 4 things to know By Kelly Gooch T he first quarter of 2025 brought hundreds of CEO exits across the U.S. In hospitals, various factors drove departures, among them retirements and leadership transitions. Challenger, Gray & Christmas, an executive coaching firm, released its latest findings on CEO turnover April 1. Four things to know from the report and Becker's coverage: 1. Hospitals reported 15 CEO exits in February 2025, a 50% increase from 10 in January, matching the number of departures recorded in February 2024, according to Challenger. 2. In March, Becker's reported roughly 20 hospital CEO exits. 3. In the first two months of this year, 25 hospital CEOs left their posts, a 4% decrease from the 26 hospital CEOs who left their roles through February 2024, according to Challenger. 4. Across the 29 industries and sectors measured by the firm, 469 CEOs announced their departures in the first two months of 2025, a 6% increase from 442 during the same period in 2024. n

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