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On Jan. 10, Jarret Dreicer, FACHE, MHA, took over as the new president of Baptist Medical Center Beaches following the retirement of former president Joe Mitrick.
Dreicer, who earned his master’s degree in health care administration from the University of North Florida, joined Baptist Health in 2005 as a research analyst. In 2013, he was named system-wide director of operational performance improvement. He also served on the Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center leadership team for program implementation.
Most recently, he served as vice president of operations at Baptist Beaches.
As president, Dreicer — a self-professed “people person” — will oversee direct operations at the hospital.
“I’m extremely excited about the role, mostly because we just have an absolutely incredible team at Baptist Medical Center Beaches,” he said. “Eight hundred spectacular team members who really help us create an exceptional patient experience and world-class quality outcomes.”
He added that the hospital has more than 250 medical staff members.
In addition, he will continue his active involvement in the community.
He sits on the board of the Jacksonville Beach Chamber of Commerce, DLC Nurse & Learn and Jacksonville Country Day School and works with Rotary clubs from Ponte Vedra, Atlantic Beach and Jacksonville Beach.
He has served as the chair for Beaches Habitat for Humanity and the Baptist Health United Way campaign.
That community connection is important, and it is part of what makes Baptist Beaches so effective.
“We’re governed by a local board of directors,” Dreicer said. “I report in to the board chair. The reason that’s significant is decisions about Baptist Beaches are made locally by people who know and understand our community rather than by executives who are miles away in another state.”
Baptist Medical Center Beaches has earned recognition from several sources. It was named a World’s Best Hospital by Newsweek, received a 5-star rating from the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services, received the Pinnacle of Excellence award for patient satisfaction from Press Ganey and earned an A rating in patient safety from the Leapfrog Group for nine consecutive years.
“We’ve accomplished so much in terms of helping Beaches residents live healthier lives, and we are going to add to those services with innovation over time,” Dreicer said.
One of the big innovations the hospital plans to make over the next 18 months is the creation of an outpatient cardiology center at a stand-alone building on the campus.
“It’s going to be a Center of Excellence for all cardiac services, which will include our Baptist heart specialist physicians, all of our diagnostic testing, our cardiac rehab, wound care and research,” Dreicer said. One advantage of such a facility is that cardiologists will be working in close proximity with the hospital’s cardiac staff, augmenting communication.
“I’m really excited about it,” Dreicer said.
Technology will continue to play an important role in health services, as well. In fact, Baptist recently launched an app that streamlines patient care because it puts each person’s health care information into one record, accessible by primary care doctors and the hospital, thereby keeping everyone in the loop. The app allows patients to track their care, see test results and physicians’ notes and even pay their bills.
Such innovation earns praise from the new president; however, Dreicer saves his greatest accolades for his team.
“I think I’m most proud of building an incredible leadership team of talented individuals that care about the mission at Baptist Health,” he said. “They wake up every day and they’re motivated to exceed the health system’s goals. And, as clichéd as that may sound, I’m a team builder. I believe it’s the talent around you that makes you successful and makes the hospital successful.”
