Colorado hospital battling 'intense local competition and wage inflation' for staff, CFO says

Aspen (Colo.) Valley Hospital is instituting an across-the-board 6 percent wage hike along with an equivalent increase in patient bills and fees, The Aspen Times reported Dec. 15.

"Hospital nurses and techs are still leaving their employment to take positions as agency personnel making multiple times more per hour than they make as an employee of the hospital, or they are chasing signing bonuses and higher wages," CFO Ginette Sebenaler told the hospital's board of directors. "We are also experiencing intense local competition and wage inflation for our non-licensed and entry level staff."

The changes will take effect Jan. 1, the report said. The 25-bed public hospital is also adding nearly 25 full-time jobs to its payroll and eliminating three positions in medical records and billing. The hospital adopted Epic's EHR in October.

The staff-wide wage hikes, which are Aspen Valley Hospital's highest in 25 years, do not include the hospital's employed physicians, the report said. It is also budgeting $23.6 million for capital improvements in 2023, including nearly $4 million on employee housing.

The hospital's 2023 budget plans for a workforce of 471 full-time staff, the report said.

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