— Gary L. Jepson, president and CEO of Central Texas Medical Center (CTMC) announced that he is ending his nearly nine year tenure as CEO of the Adventist Health System (AHS) sponsored hospital in San Marcos.

Jepson, who has overseen numerous improvements in quality, safety, facilities and services as well as cutting edge IT installations and upgrades, cited his desire to leave CTMC on a high note as the primary reason to leave now.

I believe I have accomplished what God brought me here to do and believe someone with a new vision and fresh supply of energy will be best able to build on all that has been accomplished,”  Jepson said. He adds that his first order of business will be to spend more time with his daughter and grandson who recently relocated to San Marcos.

“Gary has done an outstanding job transforming CTMC from a small community hospital into a modern day 178-bed medical center that is today providing a wide range of complex healthcare services throughout the Central Texas region,” Ken Finch, president and CEO of AHS Southwest Region, said. “Gary’s expansion of the ministries’ mission outreach activities is equally impressive,” Finch added. “We will miss Gary and his leadership.”

“Under Jepson’s leadership, patient satisfaction has soared and quality of care has improved dramatically. Hospital acquired infections have dropped below one per cent – an almost unheard of level in the hospital field,” hospital spokesman Clay DeStefano said.  “Working in partnership with the Johns Hopkins University Medical Center Team, CTMC eliminated central line associated blood stream infections.”

During his tenure, Jepson completed a long-term Facilities Master Plan and oversaw the recent completion of a major expansion and renovation which included a new Women’s Center, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit  (NICU), cardiac unit and state-of-the-art operating rooms and surgical facilities.

In addition, Jepson led efforts to develop numerous new programs at the hospital, including:

• The Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Institute, which offers highly-specialized rehab care;

• The Institute for Advanced Wound Healing, provider of wound care and hyperbaric medicine;

• The Institute for Healthy Living, designed to help all those in Central Texas live happier, healthier lives;

• Advanced Imaging, a comprehensive outpatient imaging center built in partnership with local radiologist;

• The Kyle Clinic, offering primary care, lab, X-ray and rehab services to Kyle area residents;

• The Sleep Improvement Center – helping diagnose and improve sleep disorders.

Other area firsts and innovations accomplished at CTMC under Jepson’s lead include:

• Performing its first spine surgery;

• Recruiting numerous medical and surgical specialists in endocrinology, rheumatology, spine surgery, neonatology, wound care and more;

• Completing the nation’s 5th “Participating Bond Transaction,” a unique and creative partnership with numerous physicians on the CTMC Medical Staff  designed to build alignment between CTMC and area physicians;

• Implementing the region’s first fully-integrated Electronic Medical Record system and establishing CTMC as the most advanced user of information technology in the region;

• Engineering a clinical affiliation with Austin-based St. David’s Health System, which helped bring much needed improvements in services to CTMC’s Emergency Department and made the goal to bring a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to the new Women’s Center a reality.  

“I have never had the privilege of working with a better CEO than Gary Jepson,” Tom Porter, MD, chief of anesthesia at CTMC and former president of the CTMC medical staff said. “He has led CTMC through a period of explosive growth, improvements and change. Gary has been willing to make the tough and often unpopular decisions to facilitate the improvements while at the same time somehow managing to nurture and grow a caring culture at the hospital,” Porter added.  “He is definitely going to be missed and on behalf of all of my colleagues on the medical staff, I wish him the very best as he moves into the next chapter of his life and career.”

Finch said an interim CEO will be arriving at CTMC shortly to begin working with Jepson, himself, other AHS leaders, the CTMC Board of Directors and medical staff leadership to oversee a full executive search to fill the post.  

“I thank Gary for the numerous accomplishments that he has achieved for CTMC and wish God’s abundant blessing on him and his family as he takes on new opportunities,” Finch said.