A letter about New London, Ct.-based Lawrence+Memorial Hospital's "unnecessarily downward spiral" written by a physician to the hospital president and CEO is rapidly circulating through the ranks of the hospital's medical and administrative staff, according to The Day.
Penned by George Sprecace, MD, the letter was sent in December to the hospital President and CEO Bruce Cummings, but it was also shared at a meeting of the hospital's physicians and in a union newsletter with the hospital's 1,600 nurses.
The letter lambastes the hospital's initiative to find $35 million in budget reductions and new revenue in the next 18 months and says these funds should be taken from hospital investments. It also says there is an "us versus them" attitude between administration and staff.
The hospital closed out the last two fiscal years in the red and David Reisfeld, MD, president of the medical staff, told The Day the budget cuts are painful but unavoidable. The issues at Lawerence+Memorial are not unusual, Dr. Reisfeld says.
Dr. Sprecace hopes his letter will help the general public recognize the issues faced by hospitals and take political action, according to the report.
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