LeConte Medical Center

LeConte Medical Center ("LeConte") provides care to the 14 million people who visit Sevier County each year and the nearly 100,000 residents who call Sevier County home. Previously a member of the former Fort Sanders Health Alliance, the hospital became a member of Covenant Health when the health system was formed in 1996. Located in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, LeConte Medical Center is a full-service, state-of-the-art hospital with 79 beds.SERVICEThe hospital is best known for women's services (including labor and delivery), emergency care, outpatient diagnostic services, and cardiopulmonary rehabilitation. The American College of Radiology recognizes LeConte as one of the select facilities in Tennessee designated as a Lung Cancer Screening Center. LeConte's Comprehensive Breast Center is an American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Center of Excellence. In addition, the radiology department has accreditation in every advanced imaging procedure.The Dolly Parton Birthing Unit is a family-centered facility featuring state-of-the-art monitoring systems for the safety of moms and babies. LeConte has previously been named a Best Maternity hospital by Newsweek, a Bronze "Safe Sleep" Hospital, and was designated a BEST for Babies hospital by the Tennessee Health Department and Tennessee Hospital Association.In 2022, the hospital saw 120,596 patients. Of these, 116,339 were outpatients and 4,257 were inpatients with an average length-of-stay of 3.95 days. PUTTING PATIENTS FIRSTAs part of a growing community and a popular vacation destination for visitors from around the country, the emergency department at LeConte is one of the busiest in the region and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is equipped with a helicopter pad and an observation area. As part of Covenant Health's stroke hospital network, LeConte provides rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke, and is certified by The Joint Commission as an Advanced Primary Stroke Center. LeConte was recognized with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes LeConte's commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.LeConte was previously named a Top Rural Hospital by Leapfrog; a recognition only given to 23 rural hospitals in the nation. It was also voted the number one healthcare facility in Sevier County by the Mountain Press in the Reader's Choice awards, held in November.IMPROVING THE COMMUNITY'S QUALITY OF LIFE THROUGH BETTER HEALTHLocated inside the Dolly Parton Center for Women's Services, the LeConte Comprehensive Breast Center offers 3D mammography, stereotactic breast biopsy, bone density screenings, and has certified patient navigators available to help cancer patients manage their health care regimens. The center's "Paint the Mountains Pink" program educates the community about the importance of regular mammograms and provides free mammograms to women in Sevier County who qualify for mammography screening but cannot afford it.The LeConte Wellness Center is a full-service fitness center located in the Pigeon Forge Community Center. It offers members a safe and family-friendly atmosphere in which to exercise, in addition to hosting health and education programs throughout the year. LeConte's certified sports medicine athletic trainers work with coaches and students at high schools and sports tourism venues in Sevier and surrounding counties, bringing awareness of injury prevention and safety issues on and off the field. In 2022, LeConte sports medicine was also selected by the TSSAA to be the healthcare provider for the State Golf Championship held in Sevierville, TN. For the past 12 years, LeConte Medical Center has partnered with Dollywood's Splash Country (a 35-acre water park located in nearby Pigeon Forge) to host a Water Safety Day. This event is designed to provide children and parents with life-saving water safety skills, and builds awareness about the importance of teaching children to swim. Participants also learn about boating safety, skin cancer prevention, emergency first aid, general water safety, and recognizing the signs of stroke. COVENANT HEALTHLeConte Medical Center is a member of Covenant Health. Covenant Health is a comprehensive, community-owned health system dedicated to improving the health of the people it serves. Established in 1996 by the consolidation of Fort Sanders Health System, Knoxville, Tennessee, and MMC HealthCare System in Oak Ridge, Covenant Health is governed by a voluntary board of directors comprised of community leaders and medical professionals. With more than 11,000 employees, affiliated physicians and volunteers, Covenant Health is the Knoxville area's largest employer and has been named a Best Employer by Forbes. Covenant Health includes nine acute care hospitals in East Tennessee: Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center and Parkwest Medical Center in Knoxville, Fort Loudoun Medical Center in Lenoir City, LeConte Medical Center in Sevierville, Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System in Morristown, Roane Medical Center in Harriman, Claiborne Medical Center in Tazewell and Cumberland Medical Center in Crossville. It also includes Peninsula, a division of Parkwest Medical Center, a behavioral health hospital in Blount County, Tennessee. The health system also includes Covenant Medical Group, which includes more than 200 physicians and advanced practice clinicians in office locations throughout East Tennessee.Affiliated organizations include Thompson Cancer Survival Center, Thompson Oncology Group, Fortress Corporation and Subsidiaries, Covenant HomeCare, and Fort Sanders Perinatal Center. Philanthropic organizations include Fort Sanders Foundation and the Thompson Cancer Survival Center Foundation in Knoxville, Methodist Medical Center Foundation in Oak Ridge, Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation in Sevierville, and Morristown-Hamblen Hospital Foundation in Morristown. Funds raised by the foundations provide services, equipment and other resources for excellence in patient care.LeConte Medical Center, as a member of the Covenant Health System, benefits from the collaboration among all affiliated organizations to promote quality improvement, patient safety and efficient delivery of care for the communities served.IMPACT OF COVID-19In March 2020, the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 ("COVID-19") was declared a public health emergency by the Department of Health and Human Services and declared a national pandemic by the World Health Organization. The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on the operations of all hospitals and affiliates included within the Covenant Health System. Three years later, although the overall number of hospital admissions due to the virus is significantly lower than the prior two years, COVID-19 continues to be a long-term problem.The stresses on the System which began in 2020 continue to have long-term and far-reaching implications, creating new challenges for every hospital in the System. The rapid rise in costs for supplies and equipment, unprecedented staffing shortages, and lower patient volumes continue to result in financial stress. Elective surgeries and diagnostic procedures have not yet returned to pre-COVID levels. Government subsidies in 2020 and 2021 helped offset the financial losses caused by significant declines in volumes due to cancelled and postponed procedures. In 2021 and 2022, Federal and state grants continued to be used to subsidize the rising costs of retaining staff and providing quality care. These federal and state grants were helpful but the financial pressures of rising costs across the System are ongoing.Early results from our focus groups for the Community Health Needs Assessments indicate that community problems such as substance abuse, mental illness, asthma and other respiratory diseases, and access to health care have gotten worse since COVID-19, thus stressing the health care System even more than usual.Covenant Health has put in place a number of changes to address these challenges. We are aggressively pursuing cost reductions in supplies across our hospitals and with our vendors. Covenant has increased nurse pay and implemented retention bonuses and other incentives to help reduce staff fatigue and turnover. A number of innovations, including a growing use of Tele-health capabilities, have assured that we continue to reach and serve patients in the community. Patient care continues to be our top priority despite the economic pressures.