MHCC CEO Meets with Rawlins City Council

MAY 9, 2025 |

Photo – MHCC CEO Kerry Ashment – Courtesy MHCC

The new CEO of Memorial Hospital of Carbon County assured the Rawlins City Council this week that he’s here to stay.

On March 31st, the Memorial Hospital of Carbon County Board of Trustees announced that Kerry Ashment had been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer.

Ashment introduced himself to the Rawlins City Council during their May 6th meeting, specifically mentioning that he is serving as the permanent CEO of Memorial Hospital.

Ashment acknowledged that Memorial Hospital has faced numerous challenges finding and keeping leadership staff. The last permanent CEO, Ken Harmon, joined the medical facility in December of 2019, and lead the organization through the COVID pandemic.

In May of 2023, citing “mounting stress,” Harmon stepped down as CEO. Later that same month, hospital administrators hired Rex Walk as interim Chief Executive Officer.

Walk was tasked with turning the financially troubled medical facility around. However, the interim CEO served for just over a year before the Memorial Hospital of Carbon County Board of Trustees voted to end his employment, citing a need for new leadership.

Following Walk’s termination last June, the hospital board brought Gerald Parton from Ovation Healthcare in as interim CEO until a permanent replacement could be found.

Parton’s tenure at the Rawlins hospital appeared to be short, as in December of 2024, the Board of Trustees announced that they had hired a new permanent CEO: Erick Twyman. However, Twyman was let go after roughly one week on the job after hospital administrators discovered a discrepancy in his background.

Gerald Parton resumed his role as interim CEO until Ashment joined the organization at the end of March.

At the Rawlins City Council meeting on May 6th, Ashment said he and his wife, Terry, have three sons.

When asked why he chose to move to Rawlins, Wyoming, the hospital CEO explained that he has experience living in climates similar to Carbon County.

Ashment expressed appreciation for the warm welcome he and his family have received from the community, adding that residents have freely shared their concerns about Memorial Hospital. The CEO explained that he is aware of the challenges facing the medical facility and said he is confident in his ability to find solutions.

A significant portion of Memorial Hospital’s financial struggles stem from billing issues. Patients were frequently billed incorrectly, resulting in repeated charges, improper debt collection, and overall reduced revenue. Hospital staff have reported that they receive less than half of the reimbursements requested through billing. As a result, Memorial Hospital has fallen behind on vendor payments, further reducing the services it can provide.

Efforts to improve billing accuracy have been implemented, including hiring a Director of Revenue Cycle to reduce clerical errors and enhance payment processing.

Ashment said the Memorial Hospital of Carbon County Board of Trustees were upfront with him about the hospital’s challenges before he took the job. The CEO acknowledged the facility’s shortcomings and emphasized his team’s ability to make the required improvements.

Rawlins Mayor Pro Tem Steve Sanger thanked Ashment for introducing himself to the community and expressed gratitude to the staff of Memorial Hospital of Carbon County for their excellent medical care.