Knoxville, Iowa – After 45 years in health care and 14 years as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Knoxville Hospital & Clinics (KHC), Maggie Hamilton-Beyer is set to retire on June 30. Sean Dhabalt began his role as KHC CFO on May 19.
To put 45 years in perspective–the year was 1980. Ronald Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter to become the next President; CNN, the first major 24-hour cable news network, debuted; the Rubik’s Cube was introduced; the average price of gas per gallon was $1.19; and there was a worldwide fascination with the mystery of who shot J.R. on the popular TV show “Dallas”.
A compassion for helping people and a strong like/talent for science and math is how Maggie’s distinguished career in health care first began.
After graduating from Creighton University in 1980, Maggie began her first job at Omaha Children’s Hospital as an oncology nurse. She soon discovered nursing wasn’t for her and began pursuing a degree in accounting.
“Frankly, peds oncology took an emotional toll on me and I knew I had to switch directions,” shared Maggie. “While still continuing to work as a nurse, I began taking classes at the University of Nebraska in Omaha to receive my BSBA in accounting. This became my calling.”
With an accounting degree in hand and wanting to remain in the health care field, Maggie relocated to the Twin Cities in 1987 and began working in the Finance Department at the Minneapolis Children’s Hospital as a Cost Analyst.
In 1994, after living and working for seven years in the Twin Cities, the desire to be closer to family brought Maggie to Ames where she began working as a Budget Analyst and Decision Support Coordinator at Mary Greeley Medical Center.
Seven years later, while continuing her education to obtain an MBA at Iowa State University, Maggie began working as a finance leader at Mercy Medical Center’s Rural Network. It was her position with Mercy that would land her next – and longest in tenure – job.
In May 2011, after KHC joined the Mercy Network as an affiliate partner, Maggie was assigned as interim CFO at KHC. Her interim position soon became Full-Time a few months later.
“When Kevin [Kincaid] was hired as the new CEO in August, he approached me about staying on and becoming the new CFO here [KHC], and I accepted with little hesitation,” remembers Maggie. “Now here we are, 14 years later with me retiring and looking forward to a slower pace of life, spending more time with my family, and finally the opportunity to travel more.”
With almost 40 years of experience in health care finance, Maggie has seen a lot of changes throughout the years, but probably the most significant is the ever-changing landscape of health care reimbursement and regulatory requirements.
“There is never a dull moment dealing with all the changes in reimbursements and regulatory requirements,” said Maggie. “All this affects how the hospital is paid, so we’re constantly looking ahead and wondering what is coming next. There are so many opportunities to learn and it’s always changing.”
Having seen the last two remodels at KHC take shape – in 2014 and 2023 – when asked what she is the proudest of in her 14 years at KHC, Maggie shared she’s proud of the strong financial position of the organization and all that’s been accomplished.
“We have been able to make some pretty substantial updates to our physical plant in the past 10 years and recruit the best and brightest health care providers and employees to serve the health needs of Knoxville and surrounding communities,” Maggie shared. “We have a facility and staff we are proud of and what our community deserves.”
When asked what she has enjoyed the most about working at KHC and living in Knoxville, Maggie didn’t hesitate when she said, the staff and people.
“My husband and I have made great friends since moving here in 2014. I know how important the hospital is to the community. I feel very fortunate. I’ve had the opportunity for all these years to accomplish some great things, with the help of a lot of good people,” said Maggie.
Asked what she would tell those who are just starting in health care, Maggie shared, “Have a passion or fire in your belly for your work. Be flexible and embrace new challenges because health care will continue to evolve at a rapid pace.”
Now – after 45 years of moving at a rapid pace – a slower pace of life is just what Maggie is looking forward to.
Knoxville Hospital & Clinics is a non-profit community hospital serving Marion County and the surrounding area. Named a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital, KHC’s highly skilled medical staff and specialists provide personal, compassionate, and innovative quality health care to patients. For more information regarding this release and other happenings at Knoxville Hospital & Clinics, call the Public Relations Department at (641) 842-1418.
Photo caption: After 45 years in health care and 14 years as the Chief Financial Officer at Knoxville Hospital & Clinics, Maggie Hamilton-Beyer is set to retire on June 30.
