• HOME
  • BEST OF PARTY PHOTOS
  • FEATURES
    • Best Of Cover Shoot
    • Pet Owner’s Stories
    • People
    • Places
    • Issues
    • Remembering
    • Things
    • To Do
  • DEPARTMENTS
    • Finance / Real Estate
      • Financial Articles
      • Real Estate
        • Real Estate Experts
        • Top 10 Most Expensive Homes Sold
        • Articles
    • Around Town
    • Business
      • Belle Hall Shopping Center
      • Lowcountry Women in Business
      • MP Business
    • Dwellings
    • Entertainment
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Food & Drink
    • Giving Back
    • Health & Wellness
    • Love & Marriage
    • Pets
    • Relax & Retire
    • Sports & Fitness
  • Read Magazine
  • MORE MAGS
    • Charleston Women 👩‍🏫🏢
    • Lowcountry Cuisine 🧀🍷
    • Best of Mt Pleasant Mag 🏆🏆
    • MP Business Mag 🏢
    • MP Pets 🐶🐱
    • Charleston Independent School Directory 🏫
    • MP Senior Living 👴👵
    • More Mags
      • IOP Mag
      • SI Mag
      • MP Town Hall Magazine
  • DIRECTORIES
    • East Cooper Dining Guide
    • Attorney Directory
    • 2025 Charleston Wedding Venues
    • Pool Builders/Services Directory
    • Financial Planners
    • Mount Pleasant Area Hotel Directory
    • East Cooper Worship Guide
    • East Cooper Fitness Directory
    • Senior Living Directory
    • 2023 Local CPA Tax Directory
    • Mount Pleasant Apartment Directory
  • SUBSCRIBE

Mount Pleasant Magazine

Mount Pleasant Magazine is the premier lifestyle magazine for Mount Pleasant, SC. Read about local news, events, businesses, people, and more. Subscribe today or read our digital magazine online.

  • Best of Mount Pleasant
    • 2025 Best of Mount Pleasant Including Previous Years
    • Best of Mount Pleasant Winner Articles
    • Best Of Party Photos
  • Podcasts
    • Mount Pleasant Podcast
    • Carolina Real Estate Podcast
    • Georgetown the Podcast
    • Coastal Home Podcast Video Tour
    • Best of Mount Pleasant Podcast
    • Hammock Coast Podcast
    • More Podcasts
      • Charleston Women Podcast
      • Isle of Palms Podcast
      • Charleston Pet Podcast
      • Charleston Wedding Podcast
  • Top Ten Homes Sold
  • Advertise
    • Advertise With Us
    • Media Kit
    • Video Testimonials
  • About Our Team
  • MORE
    • Real Estate Experts
    • MP Town Hall
    • Attorney Directory
    • News
    • MP Neighborhoods
    • East Cooper Online Network
    • Contact

A Learning Experience – ECMC’s New CEO

Posted by MPM Leave a Comment

Patrick Downes
Patrick Downes

The new chief executive officer at East Cooper Medical Center is well aware that he doesn’t know everything about every department of the hospital. He insisted, however, that being an expert on two-and-a-half dozen building blocks of a modern medical facility is not a prerequisite for success in today’s health care environment.

Patrick Downes, who took over the reins of the 130-bed acute care hospital at the end of March, waded into the complex world of hospital administration after earning a bachelor’s and a master’s in Business Administration at Florida State University, entering a residency program operated by Tenet Health, which owns East Cooper Medical Center. At North Shore Medical Center in Miami, he said he learned from everyone at the hospital.

He readily admitted that his education is nowhere near complete.

“Hospitals are like little cities. There’s 30 different departments, and you have to have a basic knowledge of all 30,” said the 33-year-old Downes. “Even though I went through the residency program, it doesn’t mean I know everything about hospitals. My job is to hire the right people, support them and leverage their knowledge to help make the right decisions.”

All of Downes’ previous experience is in Florida. Most recently, he was chief executive officer of Coral Gables Hospital, and he also has served as chief operating officer at Hialeah Hospital and associate administrator of Tenet Florida Physician Services – a 70-member practice management group – and of North Shore Medical Center. Prior to that, he was a bill analyst and administrative assistant for the Florida House of Representatives and chief of staff for Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

Downes’ experience in politics and medicine have taught him one important fact about the current battle over the future of health care in this country: Nobody really knows how it will turn out. He is confident, however, that whatever plan emerges needs to account for all Americans who might require health care services – now and in the future.

“The plan needs to have coverage for everyone, regardless of chronic diseases or pre-existing conditions,” he said.

Speaking of the future, Downes sees three major trends in health care: the expansion of telehealth, real-time diagnostics through an ingestible pill and an increase in surgeries in outpatient clinics rather than in hospitals.

Downes said telehealth will expand access to primary care physicians through smartphones and other devices, but it will also give patients immediate access to specialists, possibly saving lives in the process. For instance, he said time is of the essence when a person suffers a stroke, pointing out that treatment within a two-hour window is essential. Through telehealth, a neurologist miles away can carry out a quick exam and prescribe treatment that can prevent long-term damage.

Real-time diagnostics gleaned from a pill the patient swallows or from a wrist band is still decades away, Downes said, but the technology is on the way.

And, on the business side of the medical world, he predicted that sometime soon, most surgeries will be done in outpatient centers rather than in hospitals. That’s not necessarily a bad thing for hospitals, he said.

“Lots of elective surgeries are already going outside the hospital,” he explained. “So hospitals are investing in ambulatory surgery centers, not competing with them.”

He added that he sees another trend in health care: Because they can research various procedures on the internet, patients know much more than they once did. For instance, patients who need a partial knee replacement can learn all about robotic surgery, then shop around for surgeons who are experts in the field.

Downes pointed out that though the future of the U.S. health care system might be a bit cloudy right now, medical care in the Mount Pleasant area is on the right track: East Cooper Medical Center has been No. 1 in patient satisfaction among all Tenet hospitals for 12 straight years.

“There are extraordinary surgeons at this hospital. They’re fantastic,” he said. “We pride ourselves on our staff, doctors and nurses, and our volunteers are important as well. First-time visitors to the hospital get an escort to wherever they need to go.”

“It’s a fun job. I really enjoy it,” he added.

Downes and his wife, Ashley, live in Mount Pleasant with their two young daughters – Emily and Logan.

By Brian Sherman.

Photo by Brian Sherman. 

Sharing is Caring

Possibly Related:

First day of schoolA Fresh Start: Back To School Wellness Tips Rob Fowler, Chief Meteorologist, NEWS 2Brace Yourself: Expecting Above-average Hurricane Season for 2024

Filed Under: People

Advertisement

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search The Site

We're on Facebook We're on X (formerly Twitter) Mount Pleasant Magazine Youtube Channel We're on Pinterest Mount Pleasant Magazine Facebook Community We're on Instagram
Ad: South Carolina Federal Credit Union, enjoy life banking on the best.
Ad: Visit Woof Gang today!
Mount Pleasant Magazine Sep/Oct 2023 magazine coverREAD DIGITALLY
Read the digital magazine
now.
GRAB A COPY
Where can I pick up a copy of Mount Pleasant Magazine?
SUBSCRIBE
Get Mount Pleasant Magazine Delivered.
Ad: Premier Health and Wellness in Mount Pleasant, SC. Let’s Redesign Your Health & Wellness.
Read about the History of the Bridge Run
Visit Palmetto Christian Academy.org
Ad: 1st Choice AC, Heating, Plumbing and Gas, for the best AC Service for your home in Mount Pleasant, SC.
Pleasant Family Dentistry in Mount Pleasant, SC. Experience the BEST, and find out why we've been awarded 7 times in the BEST of MOUNT PLEASANT!
Ad: Visit Front Beach IOP and SHOP, DINE and DRINK in the SUNSHINE.
Ad: Get Carried Away - Real Food, Real Southern, Really Good!
Click for Stores & Services
on Coleman Boulevard
Coleman Blvd Merchant Alliance
Best of Mount Pleasant logo is a registered trademark
Ad: Every Day is a Good Dog Day at Michael's Barkery

Most Recent Posts

Palmetto Christian Academy Mount Pleasant’s #1 Private School 11 Years Running!

Emily Faile, Academic Counselor with Palmetto Christian Academy, sat down for a chat with host Brian Cleary. Their opening discussion revolves around why she believes the Academy was named Best … Continue Reading

Georgetown’s New Gem: The Making of The George Hotel

Get the inside story on The George Hotel, Georgetown's exciting new addition! Host Bill Macchio sits down for a compelling conversation with Christy Whitlock, a Realtor and developer with The … Continue Reading

Georgetown, SC Rising: A Look at the City’s Dramatic Growth & Downtown Revival

Join host Scott Richards and Main Street Director Al Joseph for an insightful look into the remarkable transformation sweeping across Georgetown, SC. This video dives deep into the revitalization of … Continue Reading

Front Street Georgetown

Opening Batch: Georgetown Crafts First Brewery

A craft beer fan and teacher from Cincinnati, Chase Runyan started brewing in his house by tinkering with kits and learning how to bottle the beer after fermentation. After making five or six batches … Continue Reading

Revolutionized: Georgetown’s Downtown Makeover

When the port city of Georgetown was laid out in 1729, merchant-oriented businesses and homes lined the land side of Front Street, originally called Bay Street, overlooking the sparkling Sampit River, … Continue Reading

Gold Standard: Georgetown’s Own Crowned Olympic Champion

When 23-year-old Nike athlete and Georgetown native Melissa Jefferson arrived at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June, she was determined to secure her … Continue Reading

More Front Street Georgetown

SEARCH

Get Our Free Newsletter!
Mount Pleasant Apartments
Pleasant Family Dentistry
Water's Edge Dentistry
34 Waterway Island Drive

Copyright © 2025 · Mount Pleasant Magazine, All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy

▲