In March 2012, Randy Johnson took the helm of the Montgomery County Hospital District in the role of CEO.
Beginning his career in the mid-1970s in Houston, Johnson worked as a firefighter, emergency medical technician and part-time paramedic before moving up to hospital administration positions.
From the late 1970s until 1981, Johnson received a bachelor’s degree in business from The University of Texas and a master’s degree in hospital administration from the University of Houston-Clear Lake.
As CEO of the Montgomery County Hospital District, what is a day on the job like for you?
This is a job that I love. I work with so many very bright people who touch people’s lives.
As CEO, my job is to assure that we have the staff, the training, the resources and the quality process to provide indigent health care services, county emergency medical services and county public health services in a caring, efficient and effective way. We want to provide quality and value.
I am very proud to say that we have cut the tax rate in half from almost 14 cents per $100 valuation in 2003 to nearly 7 cents per $100 valuation in 2016. We have done this with no debt raised. The board has done an excellent job and gives me great guidance.
What are your top priorities for the hospital district going into next year?
My top priorities are to provide indigent resident health care and provide emergency medical services. Over the past three years, the county has increased annual EMS call volume from 47,300 to 55,000 calls.
We have seen an increase in demand all over the county. There is a heavy growth concentration in The Woodlands and Magnolia areas. Those areas receive between 55-75 calls per day.
What types of new technology are being used at MCHD?
ResQCPR is a new technology. MCHD is among the first emergency medical service systems in the United States and is the first in Texas to adopt the new medical device combination from the Zoll Medical Corporation. The device was shown in a study to improve survival to one year from out-of-hospital nontraumatic cardiac arrest by 49 percent as compared to treatment with conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
How is the hospital district keeping up with growth in the Montgomery County?
To keep up with the continuous growth of Montgomery County, MCHD is building a new EMS station on Hwy. 105 West in Montgomery and another in Pinehurst. We are expanding our ambulances by two next year and will continue to expand each year as Montgomery County grows.
Can you share details about the new Community Paramedicine Program?
Two years ago we started the Community Paramedicine program, which has been very successful. The program has been established to assist the underserved and high-risk patients of the county. This program was designed to benefit those who use the 911 system regularly for preventable conditions, are at high risk for hospital readmissions, do not qualify for home health assistance and/or are chronically ill and require education and support. Patients are selected for the program based upon EMS Crew referrals and 911 call volume data.
So far, the program has been successful in reducing costs though decreased resource usage. [According to our data], 61.5 percent of enrolled patients have shown a decrease in 911 use for nonemergency medical needs, saving the county money and keeping resources available for critical situations.
