Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas, Orange Campus will discontinue emergency services on Jan. 12, according to The Examiner.
In a release issued to The Examiner, Baptist said it is ceasing emergency services because the physician group staffing the emergency room terminated its agreement to provide services. Other factors, including reductions in reimbursement and the influx of freestanding emergency room competitors, also contributed to the decision to close the ER.
The hospital will continue to offer outpatient laboratory and imaging services as well as an outpatient infusion clinic, pharmacy and sleep center.
"These decisions are never easy," said David Parmer, CEO of Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas. "We made a significant investment in quality personnel, physicians and equipment at our Orange facility. But, ultimately, this was not a sustainable situation because it drains critically needed financial resources from our hospital system."
The decision to cease emergency services will affect 18 hospital employees. The hospital hopes to transition many of these employees to Baptist's facility in Beaumont, Texas, according to the report.
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