(https://gmpg.org/xfn/11) (https://fonts.googleapis.com) (https://fonts.gstatic.com)  (../../../fonts.googleapis.com/css@family=Oswald%253Awght@200..700&display=swap.css) (../../../fonts.googleapis.com/css@family=Oswald%253Awght@200..700&display=swap.css)  (../../../fonts.googleapis.com/css@family=Noto+Sans%253A300,400,400i,700%257CNoto+Serif%253A400,700%257COpen+Sans%253A300,300i,400,400i,500,700&display=swap.css) (../../../cdn.jsdelivr.net/jquery.slick/1.6.0/slick-theme.css) (../../../cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/font-awesome/7.0.0/css/all.min.css) (../../../cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/font-awesome/7.0.0/css/all.min.css)   Baptist aims to keep more patients closer to home for care - The Dispatch  (https://cdispatch.com/?p=331630)                  (https://static.addtoany.com/)  (https://e4sh3cjh5t7.exactdn.com/)  (https://e4sh3cjh5t7.exactdn.com/)  (The Dispatch » Feed) (https://cdispatch.com/feed/)  (The Dispatch » iCal Feed) (https://cdispatch.com/events/?ical=1)  (../../wp-content/plugins/leaky-paywall/css/lp-list-builder.css@ver=5.2.1.css)  (../../wp-content/plugins/leaky-paywall/css/issuem-leaky-paywall.css@ver=5.2.1.css)  (../../wp-content/plugins/leaky-paywall-trials/css/style.css@ver=1.9.8.css)  (../../wp-content/themes/commercial_dispatch_v3/css/theme.min.css@ver=.1767201025.css)  (../../wp-content/themes/commercial_dispatch_v3/css/style.css@ver=1788273202.css)  (../../wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/addtoany.min.css@ver=1.16.css)  (https://cdispatch.com/wp-json/tribe/events/v1/)  (../../../e4sh3cjh5t7.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/cropped-dispatch-red-d-logo-2.png@strip=all&resize=32,32)  (../../../e4sh3cjh5t7.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/cropped-dispatch-red-d-logo-2.png@strip=all&resize=192,192)  (https://e4sh3cjh5t7.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/cropped-dispatch-red-d-logo-2.png?strip=all&resize=180%2C180)      (index.html#content) Skip to content (Site search)  (index.html#) Sections    (https://cdispatch.com/obituaries/) Obituaries  (https://cdispatch.com/eedition/) eEdition  (https://ads.cdispatch.com) Classifieds  (https://cdispatch.com/events/) Events  (https://donate.cdispatch.com) Donate     (https://cdispatch.com/) (Dispatch Mobile Logo)   (https://cdispatch.com/subscribe/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=button&utm_campaign=offer_button&utm_content=top) Subscribe  (https://cdispatch.com/login-page) Login      (search...)    October 14, 2026     QUICK LINKS (https://cdispatch.com/obituaries/) Obituaries  (https://cdispatch.com/eedition/) eEdition  (https://ads.cdispatch.com) Classifieds  (https://cdispatch.com/events/) Events  (https://donate.cdispatch.com) Donate   (https://cdispatch.com/news/) News  (https://cdispatch.com/news/columbus-lowndes-county/) Columbus & Lowndes County  (https://cdispatch.com/news/starkville-oktibbeha-county/) Starkville & Oktibbeha County  (https://cdispatch.com/news/west-point-clay-county/) West Point & Clay County  (https://cdispatch.com/news/area/) Area  (https://cdispatch.com/news/state/) State  (https://cdispatch.com/news/national/) National  (https://cdispatch.com/news/business/) Business   (https://cdispatch.com/sports/) Sports  (https://cdispatch.com/sports/high-school-sports/) High School Sports  (https://cdispatch.com/sports/college-sports/) College Sports  (https://cdispatch.com/sports/local-columns-sports/) Local Columns   (https://cdispatch.com/eedition/) eEdition   (https://cdispatch.com/events/) Events   (https://cdispatch.com/opinions/) Opinions  (https://cdispatch.com/opinions/local-columns/) Local Columns  (https://cdispatch.com/opinions/letters-to-the-editor/) Letters to the Editor  (https://cdispatch.com/opinions/roses-thorns/) Roses & Thorns  (https://cdispatch.com/opinions/dispatch-editorials/) Dispatch Editorials   (https://cdispatch.com/obituaries/) Obituaries   (https://cdispatch.com/lifestyles/) Lifestyles  (https://cdispatch.com/lifestyles/columns-lifestyle/) Columns  (https://cdispatch.com/lifestyles/entertainment/) Entertainment  (https://cdispatch.com/lifestyles/food/) Food  (https://cdispatch.com/lifestyles/transitions-announcements/) Transitions & Announcements  (https://cdispatch.com/lifestyles/community/) Community  (https://cdispatch.com/lifestyles/religion/) Religion   (http://ads.cdispatch.com/) Classifieds   (https://cdispatch.com/gallery/) Photo Galleries   (https://cdispatch.com/public-records/) Public Records  (https://cdispatch.com/public-records/building-permits/) Building Permits  (https://cdispatch.com/public-records/marriages-divorces/) Marriages & Divorces   (https://cdispatch.com/subscriber-profile/) My Account        October 14, 2026   (https://cdispatch.com/) (Dispatch Logo) Open eyes, open minds.     Serving Columbus & Starkville, Mississippi        (https://cdstg1922.wpenginepowered.com/) Home  » (https://cdstg1922.wpenginepowered.com/news/) News  » Baptist aims to keep more patients closer to home for care   (https://cdispatch.com/news/) News   Baptist aims to keep more patients closer to home for care By (https://cdispatch.com/author/pgreencdispatch-com/) Paloma Green  • 15 hours ago  • 3 mins to read   (Baptist aims to keep more patients closer to home for care)   Mac Flynt, left, Baptist Memorial Hospital-Oktibbeha County CEO, shakes hands with Rotarian Jeffery Donald Monday after Starkville Rotary Club’s meeting at the Hilton Garden Inn. Flynt provided an update on Baptist’s first year in Oktibbeha County and said emergency room wait times are down, patient numbers are up, and he is aiming to expand services to limit patient transfers. Paloma Green/Dispatch Staff  STARKVILLE – Baptist Memorial Health Care’s first year in Oktibbeha County was marked by “healthy turnover,” lower wait times and more patients in both the emergency room and inpatient wings of the hospital, Mac Flynt, Baptist Memorial Hospital-Oktibbeha County CEO, told Starkville Rotary Club Monday. Flynt’s first goal when Baptist (https://cdispatch.com/news/county-nets-30-5m-in-proceeds-from-och-sale/) took over OCH Regional Medical Center in October 2025 was to reduce the time patients wait for triage in the emergency room. Patient wait times have hit less than 10 minutes since EPIC – a comprehensive technology upgrade that includes systems like MyChart – was instituted in May, Flynt said. He added wait times can fluctuate day to day. Flynt’s next goal is to limit the number of patients Baptist Memorial Hospital-Oktibbeha County transfers to other hospitals, including Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle in Columbus. (https://cdispatch.com/news/baptist-aims-to-keep-more-patients-closer-to-home-for-care/attachment/flynt-mac-och-3/) ()    Mac Flynt    “There is value in having (a) big brother down the road,” Flynt said. “I think you’re going to see some overlap of some services that Columbus and that GTR hospital can offer here in Starkville, and conversely you’re going to see some things where we start to branch out. … I don’t want people to necessarily be confused that we’re not trying to be self-sufficient because we certainly are.” The majority of patient transfers from Baptist Memorial Hospital-Oktibbeha County are cardiology, gastroenterology and neurology patients, leading those to be the specialties Flynt hopes to expand coverage for over the next five to seven years. To begin reducing transfer numbers, the hospital plans to implement a new telehealth service from Eagle Telemedicine, Flynt said. This service will allow emergency room doctors to consult with cardiologists and neurologists outside the hospital, who will use an algorithm to help determine if a patient needs to be transferred. He believes this will raise the standard for when a patient needs to be transferred, allowing more patients to stay put. Lowering transfers is an important goal for the hospital because it helps expand access for community members and it is financially beneficial for the hospital to keep patients in-house, he said. Since Baptist’s purchase of the formerly county-owned OCH, Flynt said there have been some challenges in integrating the hospital into Baptist’s system. Overall, he said, employee feedback has been positive. While Baptist, as promised, has not let anyone go, there has been “healthy turnover.” In addition to that turnover came 14 changes in leadership and a new board of directors. “The leadership changes that I mentioned are not people that were bad performers,” Flynt said. “It was just more so realigning the org chart to mirror and mimic what our high-level strategy is at Baptist, but also trying to find the skill sets and putting people in certain positions where they could be successful.” Baptist also filled at least four vacancies for board-certified emergency room doctors. Baptist now guarantees patients will see a doctor who is board certified in emergency medicine when they visit the hospital. Flynt said the employees who stayed at Baptist have an “extremely positive” attitude, helped by the clarity Baptist’s accountability measures give employees. Baptist Memorial Hospital-Oktibbeha County currently has nearly 600 employees and is budgeted for about $172 million in gross patient revenue, Flynt said. “Our commitment remains the same; we want to provide exceptional care,” Flynt said. “… We want to operate responsibly. We want to continue improving our access and we want to serve the community. … The only way this engine keeps growing is for you guys to choose to stay within your zip code and receive your health care.” (https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/copy_link?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fcdispatch.com%2Fnews%2Fbaptist-aims-to-keep-more-patients-closer-to-home-for-care%2F&linkname=Baptist%20aims%20to%20keep%20more%20patients%20closer%20to%20home%20for%20care) (Copy Link)  (https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/email?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fcdispatch.com%2Fnews%2Fbaptist-aims-to-keep-more-patients-closer-to-home-for-care%2F&linkname=Baptist%20aims%20to%20keep%20more%20patients%20closer%20to%20home%20for%20care) (Email)  (https://www.addtoany.com/share)      You can help your community Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.   (https://cdispatch.com/subscribe/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=button&utm_campaign=offer_button&utm_content=below-article-cta) Subscribe     READER FAVORITES (https://cdispatch.com/news/community-profile-columbus-woman-takes-on-long-distance-running-for-friend-cause/) (Community Profile: Columbus woman takes on long-distance running for friend, cause) (Community Profile: Columbus woman takes on long-distance running for friend, cause)    (https://cdispatch.com/news/community-profile-columbus-woman-takes-on-long-distance-running-for-friend-cause/) (Community Profile: Columbus woman takes on long-distance running for friend, cause) Community Profile: Columbus woman takes on long-distance running for friend, cause  By (https://cdispatch.com/author/jakecdispatch-com/) Jake McMahon  • 15 hours ago    (https://cdispatch.com/news/muw-womens-college-builds-on-universitys-historic-mission/) (MUW Women’s College builds on university’s historic mission) (MUW Women’s College builds on university’s historic mission)    (https://cdispatch.com/news/muw-womens-college-builds-on-universitys-historic-mission/) (MUW Women’s College builds on university’s historic mission) MUW Women’s College builds on university’s historic mission  By (https://cdispatch.com/author/emcraecdispatch-com/) Emma McRae  • 15 hours ago    (https://cdispatch.com/news/msu-named-founding-member-of-southeast-ai-research-partnership/) (MSU named founding member of Southeast AI research partnership) (MSU named founding member of Southeast AI research partnership)    (https://cdispatch.com/news/msu-named-founding-member-of-southeast-ai-research-partnership/) (MSU named founding member of Southeast AI research partnership) MSU named founding member of Southeast AI research partnership  By (https://cdispatch.com/author/bsimmons/) Braden Simmons  • 15 hours ago              (https://cdispatch.com/popular-content/) Popular  (https://cdispatch.com/news/community-profile-columbus-woman-takes-on-long-distance-running-for-friend-cause/) Community Profile: Columbus woman takes on long-distance running for friend, cause  October 13, 2026     (index.html) Baptist aims to keep more patients closer to home for care  October 13, 2026     (https://cdispatch.com/news/muw-womens-college-builds-on-universitys-historic-mission/) MUW Women’s College builds on university’s historic mission  October 13, 2026     (https://cdispatch.com/news/msu-named-founding-member-of-southeast-ai-research-partnership/) MSU named founding member of Southeast AI research partnership  October 13, 2026         On This Day in 2025  (https://cdispatch.com/news/bourne-brings-the-right-chemistry-to-cmsd/) (Bourne brings the right chemistry to CMSD)    (https://cdispatch.com/news/bourne-brings-the-right-chemistry-to-cmsd/) Bourne brings the right chemistry to CMSD  October 14, 2025 By Joey Barnes / From Columbus Municipal School District          Featured Podcasts  (https://www.buzzsprout.com/645052) (The C Dispatch Podcast)   (https://cdispatch.com/podcast/) (Between The Headlines Podcast)        (https://cdispatch.com/) (The Dispatch)   Serving Columbus & Starkville, Mississippi. (https://www.facebook.com/TheDispatch/)   (https://www.instagram.com/cdispatch/)   (https://x.com/cdispatch)    (https://cdispatch.com/about/) About  (https://cdispatch.com/tips/) Submit a Tip    Newsletter Our headlines, delivered to your inbox. Sign up for Morning Shot , our flagship daily briefing of the day's news.  (1)  Email address (you@example.com)  Sign up  ()   (https://cdispatch.com/newsletters/) See all newsletters → Free. Unsubscribe anytime.       Info (https://ads.cdispatch.com) Classifieds  (https://progressmag.com) Progress Magazine  (https://lowndesil.org) Free Books for Kids  (https://donate.cdispatch.com) Donate for Journalism     Contact (tel:6623282424) (662) 328-2424  Newsroom 516 Main Street Columbus, MS 39701 Mailing PO Box 511 Columbus, MS 39703       Copyright © 2026 Commercial Dispatch Publishing Co., Inc.  (https://cdispatch.com/terms/) Terms (https://cdispatch.com/privacy/) Privacy       Unlock this article. Just sign in. Have an account? Sign in. New here? Get more access in seconds. Email Address () (Enter your email)    Continue  Yes! I would like to receive content in my inbox.       Keep reading - subscribe today You're one step away from unlimited access to the most in-depth Golden Triangle reporting available. (https://cdispatch.com/subscribe/) Get Unlimited Access      (index.html#top) (ToTop)