Baker is new administrator for Doctors Memorial Hospital

BONIFAY – The new administrator for Doctors Memorial Hospital is JoAnn Baker. Baker was recently appointed after Robert Winkler, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) retired to become an advisor. Baker was assistant director for over nine years,.

Baker said that she’s been with the hospital for 30 years come April 11 and that she started out working in the business office filing in-patent and outpatient insurance, patient registration and working the switchboard.

From there she worked in accounting batching charges and preparing quarterly payroll tax reports and then medical transcription.

After working in medial transcription she was promoted to administrative secretary; then a certified risk manager; then marketing and patient representative; then a physician recruiter; then medical staff coordinator/physician credentialing; then Joint Commission coordinator; and finally as assistant administrator to Winkler.

“I guess you can say that he’s been grooming me for the past nine years to fill this position,” said Baker. “I’ve also been attending school for health care administration.”

She said she has always looked for ways to make improvements.

“I believe that my experience working at this hospital and with my good relationship with the doctors will enhance my abilities in this position,” she said. “Plus, I’m also the first Holmes County resident to fill this position.”

Winkler will be staying on staff as an advisor.

“He’s a very smart man with so much experience and wisdom to offer,” she said. “I’m just so excited for the opportunity to be assisting others; I just really love this place.”

Teamwork is fundamental, she said.

“Everyone works together for continual improvements,” she said. “Especially when it comes to the service of our patients so that the citizens don’t have to leave to receive the best medical treatment available.”

Winkler has taught her quite a bit of his leadership skills, she said.

“He’s taught me to lead by example; that when I make a decision, that I should be firm but be fair,” she said. “I’ll be honest, if I don’t know something I’ll let you know, but I’m also willing to do the research to find the answer.”

Winkler explained that he has been in medical administration for 51 years and one month since he starting working in 1959 and that the greatest accomplishment was the building of the new hospital just off Interstate 10.

“It wasn’t my idea, I was just a player in getting it moving,” he said. “Some people claim that I came out of retirement just for this.”

He said that Betty’s Boutique, the hospital gift shop, was named after his late wife.

“She was highly involved with the women’s auxiliary here; starting it off with 13 to 14 members and I hear that it now has over 30 members now,” he said.

Now he plans to relax a little more, travel a little with his wife, maybe find a hobby he said.

“I have total confidence in JoAnn’s abilities,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of experience between us and she can fly the plane, I’ve got total confidence in her.”