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++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++ + +++��� HOSPITAL SPOTLIGHT+ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Galichia Heart Hospital ceo steve harris to retire in December StEPHEn HArrIS, CHIEf ExECutIVE OffICEr Of GALICHIA HEArt HOSPItAL (GHH), rECEntLy AnnOunCED HE WILL rEtIrE EffECtIVE DECEMbEr 31, 2012. D urInG harrIs��� Tenure, GHH has experienced significant organizational success and growth by attracting new physicians to the community and improving quality as well as financial and operational performance. ���Under Steve Harris��� leadership, Galichia Heart Hospital has developed a first-class health delivery system in east Wichita,��� says Hugh Tappan, president and CEO of Wesley Medical Center, which owns GHH. ���He has been an outstanding leader dedicated to meeting the health care needs of the community and ensuring excellent medical services. We wish Steve and his wife, Kai, the best.��� GHH has experienced many firsts under Harris��� leadership, including earning Chest Pain Center Accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers, launching a 15-minute wait time campaign for emergency room patients and making Wichita a destination for medical tourism by charging a flat fee on some popular surgical procedures. Harris, who helped oversee the transition of GHH from an independent, physician-owned facility to an HCA-owned campus of Wesley Medical Center this year, says he has been blessed to work with so many talented people over the years. ���The hospital is in a great place today,��� Harris says. ���I love HCA���s focus on quality, and I���m honored to have been a part of moving Galichia Heart Hospital into such capable hands.��� Harris remains chairman of the city���s District II Advisory Board and is a board member of the Wichita Airport Advisory Board, the Sedgwick County Zoo and the Wichita Grand Opera. He���s also a member of the Wichita Rotary. Harris says he���s looking forward to spending more time with his grandchildren and focusing on his first love: aviation. ���I���m working on getting my commercial pilot license,��� says Harris, who became a certified air traffic controller in 1968 and earned his private pilot license in 1976, his instrument rating in 1984 and his multiengine rating in 2011. He currently owns a Cessna 182RG. ��� Stephen Harris, Chief Executive Officer of Galichia Heart Hospital Partners In Care Did you know? Early hospice referrals result in improved quality of life for your patients and a peaceful transition rather than crisis management. Eligibility for hospice begins at 180 days before anticipated death and the median stay for hospice patients is only 11 days. Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice specializes in providing support to patients and families resulting in less stress, prevention of caregiver exhaustion and, in many cases, financial relief. Families often tell us, ���We wish we would have known about hospice sooner.��� 313 S. Market Wichita, KS 67202 www.yourlocalhospice.org 800-767-4965 mdnews.com ��� md news Greater Kansas | 25