New Chief Medical Officer

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla., June 29, 2018 Dr. Dennis Hernandez has been named as chief medical officer for Florida Hospital New Smyrna. In his new role, Hernandez will oversee the functions related to physicians and patient care at the 112-bed facility, including medical staff services, credentialing, compliance with accrediting bodies, patient satisfaction, infection control and other quality of care measures. In addition, he will strive to foster a patient-centered culture and develop streamlined and standardized processes to promote greater efficiency. He will also work to improve physician and team relationships, understanding that team satisfaction and engagement are vital to an organizations success. Board certified in both general pediatrics and pediatric emergency medicine, Hernandez is considered one of the leading experts on pediatric emergency medicine and has published several papers on family-centered care and remedies for emergency department overcrowding. Hernandez has served on multiple hospital, state and national committees, and has dedicated much time to developing processes for better communication with community physicians to ensure prompt and efficient care. In addition, he has extensive experience leading patient safety and quality committees at several institutions. He most recently served as chief of staff and medical director at Florida Hospital for Children, as well as medical director for Florida Emergency Physicians of TeamHealth, one of the largest integrated care providers in the country. Based in Orlando, TeamHealth is a physician-led company with more than 30 years of experience in physician services across the full continuum of care. Florida Emergency Physicians is a part of TeamHealth and is the exclusive emergency medicine staffing provider for 11 facilities, spanning five counties within the Florida Hospital system. In this role, Hernandez oversaw Florida Hospitals pediatric network in Orlando, overseeing the pediatric emergency department and pediatric urgent care system. Hernandez earned a medical degree from Montemorelos University School of Medicine, affiliated with Loma Linda University in California, in Nuevo Leon, Mexico. He completed a pediatric residency at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. He went on to complete a fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine at Tampa General Hospital. He has also earned a Master of Business Administration from Western Governors University in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and American College of Physician Executives (ACPE), as well as a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians (FACEP). Hernandez is multilingual and fluent in English, Portuguese and Spanish. About Florida Hospital New Smyrna Florida Hospital New Smyrna is a member of Adventist Health System, a faith-based health care organization with 46 hospital campuses in nine states, serving more than 5 million patients annually. With a mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ, Florida Hospital New Smyrna has 112-beds and is one of the seven Florida Hospitals in Flagler, Lake and Volusia counties that composes the Florida Hospital Central Florida Division - North Region. As the largest hospital system in the area, the Florida Hospital Central Florida Division - North Region has 1,226 beds and more than 7,800 employees. For more information about Florida Hospital New Smyrna, visit www.FHNewSmyrna.org.