The mergers come as hospitals are facing staffing and resource pressures. According to a report released in September by the American Hospital Association, anticipated profit margins would decrease 37% this year compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, with over half of hospitals operating at a deficit.
Months after contention over transferring patients from local hospitals to larger hospitals began, county commissioners approved a patient transfer policy Monday. The new policy, more stringent than the existing one, was greeted with anger Tuesday by executives at St. Luke and Hillsboro Community hospitals.
A prominent cardiologist says he was fired by Cape Cod Hospital after reporting his concerns about poorly done heart surgeries and cost-saving practices that compromised patients’ health.
The goal of the in-house teams is to offer enough pay and flexibility to attract nurses to the jobs—and thus reduce the systems’ heavy dependence on more expensive RNs from outside agencies.
An across-the-board wage increase of 6% takes effect Jan. 1 for employees at Aspen Valley Hospital, which plans to tap local nursing talent in response to an industry-wide staffing shortage.
For Children's Hospital, such a designation would safeguard against Medicaid cuts and open the door to additional funding for a facility that, in a good year, is only marginally profitable.