FGH workers face cutbacks
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Employees of Forrest General Hospital can expect reduced hours and benefits for the foreseeable future, hospital officials say.
"Federal and state programs designed to help governmental hospitals with uninsured cost were delayed and cut back," said Ed Tucker, chief operating officer at Forrest General. "These changes, along with recent and announced future changes in federal and state programs payment methods are causing a huge deficit in Forrest General's revenue stream - over $32 million annually.
Tucker said other hospitals would be affected as well, but Forrest General would be "affected more than most."
According to Tucker, to keep a quality health care environment, it was decided to cut costs in areas other than direct patient care.
Officials at Forrest General said the hospital is targeting a 5 percent reduction in paid hours applied to "non-patient care areas" of the hospital. Officials haven't specified what positions will have hours reduced.
"Using our priorities, we have reduced assigned hours during this lower seasonal activity, as any business should, and we have had to adjust employee benefits," Tucker said.
"The cost of benefits varies, and in some cases may be less as compared to other organizations," said Sara Priebe, public relations manager at Forrest General. "We decided to offer our employees more choice, as well as incorporate wellness benefits into the plan. By utilizing our employee health services and in-house pharmacy, we were able to develop a plan with little or no monthly premium."
A hiring freeze has not been implemented at this time.
"Each time a vacancy occurs, departmental managers have been asked to justify each replacement or new hire," Priebe said. "Direct patient care positions have top priority, of course."
Another factor in the decision was a surge in uninsured patients, added Tucker.
According to a prepared statement from the hospital, uninsured patients are now 20.5 percent of the overall patient load, an increase of 34 percent over previous levels. The statement went on to say Forrest General's uncompensated care for 2007 amounted to $120 million, an 18 percent increase from 2006. Officials did not respond to requests to clarify the source of this information.
Forrest County Board of Supervisors President Billy Hudson said he has discussed the matter with Tucker, and did not think the shortfall would lead to layoffs.
"They are cutting back hours with a number of people," Hudson said. "There is quite a large amount of money from Medicare they won't get this year, and they have to cut back. I would hope this doesn't result in a number of layoffs. If it did, they could not provide as good a service. There are around 3,200 jobs at the hospital, and that's good for the economy."
Priebe said the hospital would be holding town hall meetings to address any questions from the employees, but did not indicate when or where.
The approved budget of the 512-bed hospital for fiscal year 2008 is $297 million.
In October 2002, Forrest General Hospital laid off 94 workers and eliminated 200 unfilled positions after transferring 40 employees to other hospitals in an effort to save $7.6 million.
Those layoffs included employees from departmental managers to entry-level workers.
Officials then blamed the cuts on the state's malpractice crisis and Medicare and Medicaid cutbacks.
Priebe said, "We are taking proactive measures in other areas so that direct patient care will not be affected.
I think it is sad that the cut backs came from people who gave good years of their lives to a place that all of a sudden did not need them anymore. Sure they were paid for their service while they were there,but what about loyalty,coming in everyday to do a job and doing it well. These things were not considered when the layoffs started. I remember when Mr. Woodall was in charge with two vps to run the place. I realize the place has gotten much larger but the problem is on Adm. row. FGH is TOP HEAVY. With the recent layoffs I guess FGH will save about 180,000 dollars this year. A better solution would be, Quit buying those stupid swans that cost God only knows how much. How much money do they make ya? The service at FGH has never been really fast however most all the employes are caring or seem to care. If the place is going broke then why are they still building new buildings? Mr.Oliver, take care of what you have but do it the right way.
I realize this can be frustrating when reading the first time. However - Mr. Tucker states it was decided to cut costs in areas other than direct patient care . Thank goodness it's not @ the bedside. No piece of equipement or monitor will ever take the place of a HUMAN touch. Also notice Mr. Tucker stated reduction in paid hours applied to non-patient care areas of the hospital . I have the utmost confidence in Mr. Oliver, Mrs. Shaheed and the Leadership of Forrest General Hospital to keep the interest of the community (patient's and staff) @ a high level. I have been inside the FGH system and looking back - it's hard to come up to the standards of such an incredible Health Care System.
Look, I think the public is missing the point.....new buildings, yes, new additions, yes, etc...
The facts according to a new productivity model that the administration has designed are based on nurse to patient ratio instead of how critical a patient is. An ICU nurse may have 4 patients when he/she should only have 2-3 max. Oh that might be you in the fourth room....oops
Yes, Mr Tucker, you and your mighty staff are cutting direct patient care.....
Also, if you will read my prior comment. A new VP ( in addition to the 6 VP's already on staff ) will be hired in the spring. Well, now that is where the $$$$ is.
And being that your have 30ys in at FGH and are somewhere in the range of 57-60 yrs of age, you are asked to retire now!!! and if you do not....then do not make a simple mistake for you are fired without your retirement..that goes for everyone not just in patient care ...what a dump.....
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Here you will find an ongoing discussion. The forum is set up for people to speak their opinions or facts about Forrest general Hospital. Most are from upset employees, ex-upset employees, Nursing students, Ex-advanced care techs that got screwed over by FGH, Nurses, Techs and others.
If not Cuizhu stretch of Castle Peak and was blowing the wild to be left, rugged mountain roads, nearly two-hour bumpy, long suffering of the people. Finally, we appeared before the hundred families living in the small mountain village --- Tongliang County of Chongqing Municipality hufengzhen pure village. Citizen of the entrance of the village, the sun shines, we have seen a tall one, the white house, the walls of the Red Cross marked its unique identity.n
In Tongliang County, only four of the administrative villages offer small pharmacies, is the only one of the most remote village of one. Small pharmacies 23-year-old owner Peng Qin, in the face of reporters, somewhat tense, while unusually easy reading while constantly fights to answer our questions. -- WAN Xin Pharmaceutical chain Chongqing is a city well-known Chinese medicine chain. Peng Qin said, our proximity to the cool of the tree good, the management company WAN Xin Yan, drug distribution and low cost. At that time he had just returned home demobilization from the WAN Xin saw on television advertising companies, while WAN Xin has to Tongliang county in the number of pharmacies available in several surrounding towns has opened a WAN Xin chain pharmacies, so he joined WAN Xin, has run a small pharmacies. Now the wholesale price for the drug companies to Peng Qin, distribution of medicines 1,000 yuan, 30 yuan to the company money Peisongbi. In such a remote small village, and Peng Qin received are small, WAN Xin possession of this market, Qin Peng was director of the Occupational can play. Peng Qin kind of got a sense of achievement and told us, first give small pharmacies to buy medicine for the villagers.n
Small pharmacies from 30 meters from the house is an old village health stations, but here the barefoot doctors to a night on home work, and small pharmacies Qin Although not linked to circadian business signs, but Qin Peng people live in a pharmacy behind. After the shop in front of the villagers to the village if the evening had the disease, to small pharmacies task of convenience. One day the middle of the night, Peng Qin has been sleeping, suddenly came knocking for a while rapid acoustic. He opened, a women standing before him, anxious to say: sick baby, good hard, you rule it to the government. The sister lived in the mountains there, the children before the age of 5, she has only a few dozen minutes to pharmacies. Peng Qin studied medicine, as a hygienist, clinical experience, he immediately gave her a good drug distribution, money add up to 12 yuan. The next day, made a special trip to thank him for his sister, said after the baby medication, has brought the matter soon, the sleep-can. Purely from a village composed of a number of villages, the villages distance away, traffic inconvenience. A cold winter and had just been rain, living in a mountain village called: the elderly flu fever, no drugs at home, Qin Peng for drugs. He hastily Pieth clothes parade immediately with a hash pain, anti-virus particles, amoxicillin and other drugs, a total charge seven yuan money. Then he scrambled up the banner contains all the way mud, the mud stained body, only arrived at. Watching serving the elderly and the medicine to return to the foot of days have been bright. Another small pharmacies keep a large role in this little mountain village Drug prices.n
Lower commodity prices, market competition than administrative means, this is the most important one of the economic laws. -- Small pharmacies did not run, the village people are subordinate to the township hospital at the village health patient, but drug prices relatively high. In a small pharmacies, chain pharmacies and WAN Xin Peng Qin taken a low-cost strategy, and health stations formed a competition, health stations have to follow the prices. Look at the price of drugs, the news surprised to discover that the drug prices here also cheaper than the city. For example, a box of the new medication generally sold in the city about 11 yuan, 9.5 yuan sale here. Peng Qin said that the new NT 9.2 yuan for the book, he earn 3 cents, in the purchasing power of farmers because he was not allowed to sell high-priced, it would be bought by a single Army. Reporters asked the Health Station after that, where prices for the new medication about 11 yuan over the WAN Xin Peng Qin pharmacies high 1.5 yuan. The village doctor said: pharmacies that much impact on me now, in order to sell low-cost medicines, most drugs, I do not buy from the town hospital, but the company bought from the WAN Xin, so many cheaper. This is purely a village pharmacy distribution wife and children more than 400 drugs, daily sales of more than 200 yuan, 34 yuan for Maori. Peng Qin earned 300-600 yuan a month now, the rent is 100 yuan, a year only a few dozen yuan business taxes, the annual management fee expensive business, to pay 1,300 yuan. But Peng Qin said, in any case, he can rely on pharmacies breadwinner. WAN Xin chain of pharmacies in rural areas has become Tongliang County of a drug supply network components. 2 network building, Tongliang County of Chongqing Municipality Drug Branch encourage GSP certification by the medical chain enterprises to enter the rural market to operate chain pharmacies, there have been 33 of the township into drug distribution to rural counties, representing 100% of the total number of townships; There are 74 administrative villages of medicines Rural Delivery into the village, the village of 13% of the total. Secretary Zhen Zhang Qi said: building up rural pharmacies, medicines more convenient for farmers, the drug prices more reasonable.
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