HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division has announced the appointment of Joe Hernandez as chief executive officer of Valley Regional Medical Center effective January 1, 2025.
A Rio Grande Valley native, Hernandez first joined HCA Healthcare in May 2017 as chief financial officer of Valley Regional Medical Center. He was named chief financial officer at Rio Grande Regional Hospital in June 2020.
Hernandez has served as the market chief financial officer and chief staffing officer for HCA Healthcare Las Palmas Del Sol Healthcare in El Paso since April 2023. Las Palmas Del Sol Healthcare is a two-campus health system with 683 acute care beds with two IP Rehab hospitals, three surgery centers, four freestanding emergency departments and seven urgent care centers.
During his time at Las Palmas Del Sol Healthcare, Hernandez was instrumental in restructuring the finance operations of the market. With his passion for quality care, physician relations, positive patient experience and growth, Hernandez improved length of stay management, supported throughput efficiency measures, and assisted in long-term planning for the El Paso healthcare system.
Hernandez earned his Bachelor in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from the University of Texas – Pan American in Edinburg, Texas, and a Master in Business Administration from University of Phoenix.