Kent Hospital CEO to retire

Kent Hospital President and CEO Robert E. Baute has announced that he will retire March 30 after 35 years as a member of Kent’s medical staff and nearly 20 years as an administrator there, the last 10 as president.
Baute will be succeeded by Mark E. Crevier, who has served as chief financial officer of Kent’s parent organization, Care New England Health Systems, since it was established in 1996. Previously, Crevier had been a financial administrator at Women & Infants Hospital.
Baute announced his retirement at Kent’s 55th annual meeting, Dec. 6 at the Quidnessett Country Club in Warwick. Baute took a medical leave for hip surgery in the fall, and Crevier filled in for him. Upon Baute’s retirement, the hospital’s trustees offered Crevier the CEO job.
Kent has been struggling financially. Also at the annual meeting, the hospital released its audited financials for fiscal 2005, showing an operating loss of nearly $2.4 million on total revenue of $217.9 million. Hospital officials attributed the deficit primarily to “inadequate” Medicare reimbursements, other state and federal program payment reductions, and poor reimbursement for a small group of seriously ill patients.
Baute said the hospital has a plan to reverse its deficit within two to three years.