Q&A with our new Chief Medical Officer, John Henderson, MD

Barbour Community Health Association is delighted to announce the promotion of Dr. John Henderson, MD, to Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Henderson will lead Barbour Community Health Association’s clinical team while continuing to provide care to his patients at Belington Medical Clinic. We chatted with Dr. Henderson to learn more about his experience in Family Medicine and about his new role. Read on to learn more.  

What is the title and role of your current position at Barbour Community Health Association (BCHA)? 

Chief Medical Officer and Medical Provider.

Can you briefly describe the responsibilities and duties associated with the CMO position? 

The primary thing is to ensure quality care to all patients that we serve and to oversee the clinical staff regarding our policies and procedures.

How does your previous experience and skill set align with the requirements of this role? 

I served as Medical Director in the past as well as worked as a Family Practice Physician for 28 years. I have worked here at BCHA in one capacity or another for all of those 28 years. I served as Chief of Staff at a local hospital. I am also the Medical Director of Mountain Hospice – a nursing home in Belington. 

How do you balance the role of an administrator and a provider? 

Balancing both roles is sometimes tough. You never know when things will come up. Thursdays are now dedicated to just administrative tasks and duties, however, issues do come up on other days as well. Balancing a busy schedule has been a responsibility of mine since Medical School. Prioritizing my work and working efficiently helps balance.

What excites you the most about your new position? 

I think it’s being involved with an organization that I truly believe has/puts the wellbeing of our patients and the community first. Having the dedicated time to do administrative tasks is a big change, where before, these responsibilities were always just squeezed in. We do great things here at BCHA, and I want to be a part of that, and continue being a part of it in the future.

How do you envision your new position contributing to the BCHA’s overall goals and objectives?

I think I try to be objective and not take any sides. I try to listen to the opinions of both the administrative side and the clinical side, and support whichever side seems to make most sense. Sometimes I have to work with one side – admin and providers – or vice versa to help them understand who may or may not be right given the circumstance.

Can you share any specific projects or initiatives you’ll be working on in your new position? 

We acquired the Myers Clinic seven years ago. It’s been a struggle for the two organizations to feel as one. I really would like us to feel like we’re all on the same team. To feel like we are all BCHA.

What are some of your immediate goals and priorities in your new role?

Learn what a CMO needs to do. In the past, we had a Clinical Director that did a lot of the grunt work, and I basically just signed off on things as a Medical Director. This role is more responsibility. I want to unify the BCHA organization. 

Why did you choose a career in the healthcare industry? 

Honestly, I just sort of fell into it. Some of my background – I wanted to be a farmer, and I did not go to college until six years after completing high school. I was married with kids when I then decided I needed more, so I went to college, then went on to med school. I like to help folks. I chose family medicine because I like the idea of being involved in care for the whole family.

What is your educational background? Please elaborate.

I graduated from East Fairmont High School in 1979. Following high school, I married my wife Annette – my high school sweetheart. I received my undergrad degree in Animal Science from West Virginia University. I then went on to medical school at West Virginia University, where I additionally completed a three year residency in family medicine. I have four children who are now all adults as well as seven grandchildren. I moved to Elkins in 1995, the same year I opened a private practice and worked at BCHA part time.

What are key challenges that you feel healthcare administrators face?

We’re a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), so we get federal funding, and with that comes a lot of rules and regulations to ensure we are doing what we need to do.

It is a challenge to know and follow those rules. Being an FQHC is much more involved than just doing the right thing in the exam room – we do the right thing in the room and must track and prove to the insurance companies that we are doing the right thing. Sometimes it’s hard to put it all on paper that we are providing the best care for our patients.

Providers are all different people with different personalities and practice approaches. This doesn’t mean one provider is right and one is wrong. We must understand how to come up with a protocol(s) to do things that also doesn’t interfere with a provider’s individuality and individual practice of medicine. The way I do it doesn’t mean it’s right for other providers.

Why do you choose (to work at) Barbour Community Health Association? 

Without sounding too corny, I really believe this organization cares about the patients first. A close second to that is the employees. I’ve seen many, many, many times over the years where the BCHA administration would go above and beyond to help our employees. I truly believe it’s a caring organization and that trickles down to our patients. From the board to our CEO to administration, the nurses, front desk and janitor – everyone really cares.

BCHA is an organization to be proud of. Considering Barbour County is very poor, we have really state-of- the-art medical facilities. We have the brand new Myers Clinic in Philippi, several Wellness Centers and School-Based clinics such as the AB Wellness Clinic. Our outreach is county-wide and I believe we do a very good job.

We are so excited for Dr. Henderson to take on the role of Chief Medical Officer. Patients can see Dr. Henderson at our Belington Medical Clinic.