In May alone, about 5,900 hospital jobs were cut across the country, making it the first month in several years to produce a net loss of jobs in the hospital sector, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The following is a breakdown the hospital and health system layoffs and workforce reductions covered by Becker's Hospital Review in the last two weeks. They are listed below by the number of employees or positions affected.
1. Sacred Heart Health System Plans Workforce Cuts
Last week, Sacred Heart Health System in Pensacola, Fla., plans to lay off 150 employees, about 3 percent of its workforce. Additionally, the system is cutting 125 to 150 vacant positions and offer early retirement to 25 employees 59 years old or older.
2. St. John Providence Announces 160 Layoffs
St. John Providence Health System, based in Warren, Mich., confirmed it will lay off 160 employees. The layoffs will be spread throughout the system's hospitals, offices and other care sites. In addition to the 160 layoffs, St. John Providence will eliminate empty positions. The cuts will go into effect before June 30, the end of St. John Providence's fiscal year.
3. Inova Health System Axes 147 Positions
Falls Church, Va.-based Inova Health System laid off 147 employees across its five-hospital system. The layoffs occurred because of a 3.5 percent decrease in patient volume.
4. St. Vincent's Medical Center Trims 100 Jobs
St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport, Conn., eliminated 100 positions, resulting in 48 layoffs. The layoffs affected employees at all levels of the hospital, and some of the cut positions were nurse and physician positions. Some laid-off employees were offered different positions within the hospital.
5. Palomar Health to Lay Off 84
Escondido, Calif.-based Palomar Health is laying off 84 employees, about 2 percent of its workforce. In a board of directors meeting in May, Michael Covert, Palomar Health president and CEO, cited lower reimbursement rates, sequestration's cuts to Medicare, patient satisfaction scores and lower census levels as the reason for the labor cuts.
6. Tri-City Medical Center Cuts 3% of Workforce
Oceanside, Calif.-based Tri-City Medical Center laid off roughly 3 percent of its workforce, affecting about 67 employees. The layoffs did not happen all at once, but were spread out over recent months.
7. Lourdes Health Network to Cut Up to 65 Positions
Pasco, Wash.-based Lourdes Health Network plans to lay off 50 to 65 employees. Lourdes is closing the obstetrics department at Lourdes Medical Center at the end of June, which will result in 24 layoffs. The rest of the layoffs will come from cuts happening elsewhere in the system.
8. St. Joseph Regional in Idaho to Lay Off 24
St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston, Idaho, is cutting 47 positions, which will lead to 24 layoffs. The layoffs will affect full- and part-time employees, mostly support staff, and are a result of the sequester as well as other reimbursement cuts.
9. Parkview Adventist Medical Center Lays Off 16
Parkview Adventist Medical Center in Brunswick, Maine, laid off 16 employees. The hospital pointed to lower reimbursements and more debt as the reason for the staff cuts. Parkview Adventist employs roughly 300 people.
10. University of Maryland Medical Center to Begin Layoffs
Baltimore-based University of Maryland Medical Center will send layoff notices to an unspecified number of employees by the end of the month. The number of affected employees is not yet finalized. The job losses are a result of reimbursement changes facing hospitals across the nation.
11. Layoffs Ahead for Jordan Hospital
Jordan Hospital in Plymouth, Mass., is closing an inpatient orthopedic floor, which will result in layoffs. The hospital is closing the floor as part of consolidations made necessary by lower patient volumes and reimbursement.