Rochester (N.Y.) General Hospital plans to close beds temporarily as the hospital aims to recruit more staff nurses and cut spending, according to a report from News 10, an NBC affiliate.
Tammy Snyder, Rochester General's president, told the publication hospital leaders plan to reduce spending on nurse staffing agencies and build the nursing staff internally. The health system has offered agency registered nurses permanent employment or other opportunities, and they're partnering with nursing schools to bring in training nurses.
Rochester General is still determining how many beds to close based on patient demand and current staffing rates by day. Ms. Snyder said patient care won't be affected by the bed closures.
Rochester General Hospital also began a new policy to collect 100% of patient responsibility before non-emergency outpatient surgeries, according to a separate News 10 report. The policy started Jan. 2 after the hospital identified $400,000 of unpaid outpatient surgery bills in a month, primarily from deductibles and co-insurance.
The hospital also offers the option to pay 25% upfront and then agree to a no-interest payment plan for the rest, according to the report.
Rochester Regional Health is in the midst of a two-year cost transformation journey; in 2022, the system was losing around $1 million per day and Christopher Ragsdale, vice president and value-based care chief administrative officer, told Becker's the system launched a multi-year strategic turnaround. Staff shortages, inflation, payer relations and agency nursing sparked the financial pressures and the system has since improved productivity, efficiency and workforce development.