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BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Gary Miller thought he heard the voice of God through the loudspeaker at St. Alexius Medical Center when he sat down at his desk for his first day of work 31 years ago.
"If God were to speak to me, I think that is what he would sound like," Miller recalled, noting the distinguished voice struck him as similar to that of actor James Earl Jones.
It turned out the voice belonged to Father Patrick Moore, chaplain of the hospital at the time, the Bismarck Tribune (http://bit.ly/1uAUaqe ) reported.
"I thought this must be a great place to be with that kind of an introductory prayer," Miller said.
Thus began a 31-year career at the hospital, now called CHI St. Alexius Health. Miller recently announced that he would retire as the hospital's president and CEO on April 15.
Miller has spent five years as head of the hospital, having previously served as chief financial officer, as well as reimbursement coordinator and fiscal controller.
After that first morning prayer, reality quickly set in when his colleagues showed him the papers his predecessor had compiled to help with his first task. He had to write a 150-page cost report on Medicare, and the clock was ticking.
"There was one manila file with six pages of information in it," he said. "That's when panic started to kick in."
He remembers pulling a number of 14-hour shifts to file the report by the 90-day deadline.
"The first morning was impressive," he said. "The first 90 days were a little rocky, but, after that, it's been a great place to be."
When he agreed to become president and CEO five years ago, he told the board of directors that he would take the job but planned to retire by the end of 2015. The 64-year-old wants to pursue other interests he hasn't had time for while at St. Alexius, such as teaching and writing a book.
His retirement comes shortly after the hospital announced it had become a direct affiliate of Catholic Health Initiatives, a Colorado-based health organization with 87 hospitals throughout the country.
"It's a great time for me personally to transition to someone else who can lead that change over the next number of years," he said.
Throughout his career at the hospital, he's seen the health industry undergo a number of changes, particularly as St. Alexius adopted new technologies to make operations more efficient.
When he first started, hospital employees recorded nearly everything by hand. He recalls writing in ledger books and typing financial statements at the end of each month.
Computer programs allowed staff to complete administrative tasks more efficiently, and they continue to change patient care to this day. Miller said the hospital was one of the first in the state to do computing at patients' bedsides. Today, it's gearing up to implement an electronic medical record system called Epic software.
Most of all, Miller said he would miss the people he works with and their commitment to the hospital. He still chuckles over the time a former nursing director drew the short straw and dressed up as the hospital's mascot, Alex the Cat, for the annual "I Made the Hill" race. The man donned the costume and fired a pistol to start the race, only to catch his paw on fire.
"I can remember this large Alex the Cat person running around with his burning paw," he said, laughing at the memory. "Fortunately, somebody stepped up and helped him put it out."
Sister Nancy Miller, prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery, said she met Gary Miller about 24 years ago when he came to the community to give an annual report on the hospital.
"He was able to capture very succinctly the financial situation in understandable terms for not only me, but the other sisters as well," she said.
She got to know Gary Miller better six years ago when she became prioress of the monastery and began serving on the hospital's board of directors. She said his retirement has "come much too quickly."
Gary Miller said he wanted to "thank the sisters for having the fundamental belief I was capable of doing this job."
Meanwhile, the search for a new president and CEO is underway. Nancy Miller said a group from the board, hospital staff and community members will lead a national search for someone to fill Gary Miller's shoes.
"I think Gary Miller is the perfect example of a servant leader," she said. "I don't think there is anything he would expect others to do that he wouldn't do himself."
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Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com
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