Dr. Meredith Hulsey has returned to Medical Center Hospital as chief medical officer.
A pathologist by training, Hulsey was at MCH for five years before taking time to care for her parents in her hometown of Wichita Falls.
Hulsey completed her residency in 2003. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Texas at Arlington and her doctor of osteopathic medicine from University of North Texas Health Science Center.
Right after residency in pathology, she came to the area to work for Midland Pathologists and she really liked it.
“In high school … when we did anatomy and dissected cats. I loved anatomy. … I think the anatomy just really fascinated me and I took to it quickly. I could memorize all that terminology. I did not have any doctors in my family or any medical people in my family, so I kind of figured everything out on my own. After I got into the biology courses in college, then it just kept reaffirming this is really what I do like and what I want to do,” Hulsey said.
Before transitioning to CMO, Hulsey was a pathologist.
In general, she said, chief medical officers are responsible for patient safety and quality in relation to the physician role in the hospital.
“I represent all the providers and advanced practitioners — I mean physicians, the nurse practitioners and physician assistants,” Hulsey said.
If providers have an issue they come to her.
“There hasn’t been a CMO here for about three years, so there’s a lot of built up stuff to say. I started Jan. 3, so it’s been a busy three months. You have the new issues coming up, but then you have all the past that you’re trying to rectify also. It’s a lot but I’ve really enjoyed every minute of it,” she said.
Hulsey said an administrative role like this was not planned.
“I think that I had a lot of successes during the five years I was here and I’ve developed a good rapport with administrators, the nurse leaders and physician leaders. I think as they continued searching for that CMO — they’ve been looking for a long time — and they thought, who from within could we consider for this role instead of looking out. My name came up, I’m told. Even though I hadn’t had experience, they knew me and they knew how I ran the lab and we all thought well, that can be extrapolated to how we’ll run the bigger picture. I came to interviews and we had a lot of long discussions and the deal was done,” Hulsey said.
In April 2022, her parents were having some medical issues, so she went to work in Wichita Falls for a few months.
“I guess it was during that time I guess everybody really missed me. But I think they thought I was valuable to be to here and so that’s when I got phone calls from Mr. Tippin and the physician leaders to just start the conversation of would I be willing or interested in returning as chief medical officer. There were a lot of conversations and we finally agreed that I would come,” Hulsey said.
People at the hospital already knew her. She made Facebook videos on the different types of tests during COVID.
“They knew how I handled big tasks and pressure from watching (me during) COVID. I think that was some of the evidence to them that I could” be CMO, Hulsey said.
She added that the hospital as a whole did well for the county during that time. Hulsey and her colleagues were in the trenches together and came out the other side.
Before joining Medical Center, she worked at several pathology labs and multiple hospitals.
“I was the medical lab director of five hospitals — smaller hospitals — and had privileges at like 15. … They felt I had administrative skills so they were having me the lab director (at) so many places, which in theory is a good idea but I felt like I can’t do anything well because you’re spreading me out so thin. When I saw the opportunity here, I knew that I liked West Texas already but I thought I would rather be the medical lab director of one big place that I can wrap my hands around that I’m always here and not bouncing every day to different places. That was the attraction to transition from AmeriPath, the national company, to a hometown situation with a local hospital,” Hulsey said.
As a pathologist, Hulsey already worked with physicians and nurses.
“I think it’s a big advantage that I … always had the global hospital in mind. I think if you have a specialty to subspecialty, you’re thinking about your patient set and what’s best for cardiology … because you don’t see other things so why would you be worried about other things? But in the lab, I have every department under my purview. No patient is more important than any other patient and so I have to meet all of their needs. That translates exactly into what I do now,” Hulsey said.
She added that she has a contract with ProCare to do temporary work when she finds time. Hulsey said she’s hoping she’ll have more time to do that in the fall.
“I think my biggest goal in the short term is for physician engagement. The hospital is run on the backbone of physicians that need to be involved in all the decisions for improvement of quality and the patients’ safety, which are my two big areas that I always am striving for,” Hulsey said.
She added that doctors aren’t always included in all the operational aspects of the hospital, but they have to execute all the bylaws and rules.
“It’s really important that they’re included in their creation so I want to have the doctors more involved in all the committees to be part of the decision making of the … day-to-day patient care,” Hulsey said.
She added that she is proud to be at MCH and proud of the physicians she gets to represent.
“Just to be in healthcare, as it is a business, but it’s a business with the most noble purpose and that common ground of the patient is what holds us together in all circumstances,” Hulsey said.
Hulsey is married to her husband Kevin, who is an architect.
Medical Center President/CEO Russell Tippin is very pleased to have Hulsey on board again.
“We’re so happy to have Dr. Hulsey back at Medical Center Hospital,” Tippin said in an email. “Her positive relationships with our staff and doctors from her previous time here is such an asset to have. The respect she commands and her leadership can’t be replicated and we’re beyond thrilled to have her leading our clinical efforts moving forward.”
