In an announcement becoming all too familiar in Pennsylvania, the Reading Hospital health system plans to reduce its total workforce of 6,400 by 250 positions, or 3.9 percent.
Scott R. Wolfe, president and CEO of The Reading Hospital, said last week that the reduction would come from management and staff levels in almost all departments of the hospital.
"It is important to note that the hospital will continue to fulfill its patient care mission at the same high level of quality and safety for which we have been nationally recognized," said Wolfe. "There will be no elimination or curtailment of services and programs resulting from the reduction."
Wolfe said the staff reductions would result from attrition, individuals who have accepted a voluntary separation offer and permanent layoffs. Clinical areas are included in the reductions, although bedside staff positions will not be included.
In a March 2009 survey conducted by the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, 84 percent of the state's hospitals said they have effected or are contemplating workforce reductions to maintain their financial well-being in the current economic climate.
The surveyed hospitals cited a combination of factors negatively impacting their bottom lines: declines in elective procedures, increases in emergency department use, serious declines in investment portfolios and subsequent impact on securing funding and increases in charity care and bad debt.
Wolfe cited these factors in Reading Hospital's decision to reduce its workforce, as well as "the importance of assuring a steady supply of primary care and specialty physicians in the region we serve." He also noted that the "unfunded mandate from the Medicare and Medical Assistance programs continues to grow at an alarming rate."
"We are confident that the steps we are taking, no matter how painful they are in the short term, will assure our ability to maintain focus on our mission," said Wolfe. "We will remain this region's premier hospital, and we remain committed to being a leading employer in the region."