SLAYTON — Murray County Medical Center CEO Dennis Goebel said that out of 1,200 hospitals, Murray County Medical Center was recently ranked in the Top 20 Hospitals for Patient Satisfaction by the National Rural Health Association.

“That’s something I’m most proud of,” Goebel said Monday.

Goebel routinely reports once a month to the Murray County Board regarding financials and his recruiting efforts and will be sharing the award with the county commissioners today.

“I give a summarized report to the county board at their first meeting of the month after I’ve made a full report to the medical center board,” he said. There are three lay people on the medical center board along with two county commissioners, he said.

Unlike last year, Goebel has been working on recruiting three new health care providers this year.

“We’ve hired three new providers,” Goebel said. “Two start in August and September. The other will be awhile yet as that person needs to obtain a Minnesota license.”

Last year, there was no need for recruiting, Goebel said, and 2017 had a strong first five months financially.

“This summer is a little slower financially because we’ve had a lot of adjustments from third party payers,” Goebel said. “Blue Cross Blue Shield is paying less than in previous years.”

The CEO’s response to that is to tighten the buckle at the Murray County Medical Center.

“We try to be as efficient with our resources as we can be,” he said, “doing whatever we can, like flex staffing when it’s slow, and making sure everyone is working. We also market to the community.”