On May 1, Trinity Hospital Twin City CFO Woodrow W. Hathaway Jr. retired after a 41-year career in healthcare.
He rose from business office manager to assistant administrator to CFO at a North Carolina hospital and then went on to senior management positions at other health systems before joining Trinity Hospital Twin City in Dennison, Ohio three years ago, according to the hospital.
The responsibility of CFO is being regionalized within the hospital system, which also includes Sylvania Franciscan Health and Catholic Health Initiatives, according to a spokeswoman. Trinity also has a finance manager on site, she said.
Hathaway was part of the senior management team that in 2015 led staff in earning the Healthcare Organization of the Month award for January 2015. The Studer Group chose Trinity from among 800 hospitals based on achievements in creating a culture of healthcare excellence resulting in greater patient satisfaction, higher employee retention, healthy financials and improvements in quality of care, according to the hospital.
In February 2015, the hospital also earned accreditation from The Joint Commission.
Hathaway was named a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (FCHE) and an advanced member of the Hospital Financial Management Association.
"When I started, exploratory surgery was the norm, with the result sometimes being uncertain," he said. "Now, with the imaging technology available, exploratory surgery is not as necessary. Also, with the advances in surgical procedures, patients have better outcomes and recover quicker."
Hathaway began his career as a high school business teacher, but in 1974 took a summer position in healthcare and never looked back, he said.
Twitter: @SusanMorseHFN