Affected by reduced payments, hospitals in Pennsylvania cut 3,900 jobs from February 2013 to February 2014, and more layoffs and other cuts are expected in the future, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry and The Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania.
In a survey of the state's general acute care hospitals, HAP found many hospitals plan to make cuts to their services and workforces in the future. According to the survey:
• 67 percent of hospitals plan to freeze hiring
• 49 percent plan to lay off current staff
• 51 percent will cancel or delay needed renovation or building projects
• 41 percent will cut healthcare services
"Pennsylvania hospitals confront a changing and uncertain healthcare environment, mounting federal payment cuts and an economy that is still struggling," Andy Carter, president and CEO of HAP, said in a news release. "As hospitals work to transform the delivery system, they need stability in federal Medicare and Medicaid payments."
He urged lawmakers to extend support to rural hospitals and to not use hospital payment cuts to fund sustainable growth rate reforms, according to the release.
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