Jamie Shepherd, CEO, Shepherd Center

In an interview with Focus:, Jamie Shepherd, CEO of the Shepherd Center, discussed what specialized neurological rehabilitation can bring for patients. “We are working to partner with people who potentially will find a cure for paralysis, multiple sclerosis, or ways to help traumatic brain injury heal more efficiently,” Shepherd noted. 

What recent changes have most influenced the direction of the center?

We opened two new buildings last year. The Arthur M. Blank Family Residences supports our patients’ families when they are with us. Half our patients come from outside the state of Georgia, and we’re pleased to provide donor-funded housing for the entire length of their loved ones’ stay. Marcus Center for Advanced Rehabilitation has consolidated our research efforts, which were scattered around the facility. We were able to start an innovation institute, as well. We are excited about what it brings to our organization, and to the region. We were also able to offload some of our other departments to the new building, so we can expand and renovate our current facility. Our big 50th anniversary was celebrated last August, and we had some personnel transitions after the previous CEO’s and CFO’s retirement. 

What is your vision in balancing the center’s legacy with the shifting demands of the healthcare environment?

The healthcare environment is ever-changing, and very challenging. We’re proud of the last 50 years. We look forward to taking it to even higher levels over the next 50, becoming a specialized institution that focuses heavily on neurological rehabilitation, brain injury, spinal cord injury, and other neuro-related conditions, through our innovation institute, partnerships, and more product development. We are working to partner with people who potentially will find a cure for paralysis, multiple sclerosis, or ways to help traumatic brain injury heal more efficiently. Another unit is being added to the expanding inpatient capacity, which is going from 152 beds to 175 beds. It is about improving access to specialized care in this population. We believe we’re the best in the country at taking care of these patients, so we want to give them access to our care. 

What are the emerging trends in specialized neurological rehabilitation?

Historically, the No. 1 reason that brings patients here has been car crashes. While that remains true for the patients we admit, falls have become the leading cause for referrals to our center. As the population ages, perhaps falls will be the leading cause of spinal cord injury, and traumatic brain injury. There’s potential opportunity through AI that hopefully will make real breakthroughs on the science side in this space, which will change patients’ lives for the better. 

How are you navigating potential hurdles in the economy?

The center is not consuming a significantly major amount of resources, compared to an acute care hospital that’s doing a bunch of surgeries and has a huge supply budget. However, inflation does affect us. Historically, our supplies would increase about 2% a year. Now, we’ve seen it increase about 5% a year. It makes us work smarter because we’re not getting the reimbursement, in most cases, to overtake and overcome that increase in supply costs.

How will the Beyond Therapy program influence future programming?

A lot of what we’re able to do is dictated by what insurance covers. Beyond Therapy, however, is a self-paid program, and we certainly have scholarship spots available. We are able to let the patients tell us their goals, and give them a lot more flexibility to try new things. Beyond Therapy partners with our innovation institute to set trials and move the needle in different ways. It’s an incredible program, and a big differentiator for us.

How has the long-term wellness service affected patients?

In the past, people thought that patients with multiple sclerosis needed to rest and not exert themselves. We’ve proven through research that it’s just the opposite. It’s great for most patients to exercise, especially for multiple sclerosis patients. Our donor-funded wellness program tracks and studies how our patients are doing through wearable devices. We try to keep our patients as active as they can be to fight the progression of multiple sclerosis. 

How do you recruit and retain the specialized workforce for the center?

It’s still an incredible challenge, though it’s gotten better since COVID. We are seeing fewer agencies and traveling personnel. Furthermore, in a big urban city like Atlanta, there’s a hospital every couple of miles away from another. We have to really value our employees, treat them well, pay them fairly, and take care of them. Otherwise, they’re going to go down the street to what they think is a better place. We’re very intentional about how we treat our employees. They’re the most valuable resources we have. We also try to bring people in when they’re in school, especially technicians, nurses, and residents who can complete their practicum and get exposure here. Specialized rehab is a unique journey that allows us to form a close bond with the patients, and it draws certain types of people. The exposure people get, through tours, residency, or interning, helps us identify the next great leaders, and hire the best culture fit. 

What are your top priorities for the next few years?

Our top priority is to finish what we started, including the $72 million in renovations to be completed over the next two years. We need to then look at our processes, and make sure they’re efficient, as well as adaptive. The world is changing quicker than ever, and we can’t rest on what we’re doing today or yesterday. We have to change with the industry and keep up, whether from a legislative or a technology perspective. 

We’re exceptionally proud to be a top rehab hospital in the country for the past 30 years. Being an independent nonprofit hospital, people don’t come here because we are a part of a system. We don’t have referral agreements. They come here because they choose to, because we’re the best in the world at what we do. We have 20 programs that insurance doesn’t cover, but for which our foundation raises tens of millions of dollars every year because we think it’s the right thing to do for our patients, and it provides them with the best outcomes.