Brattleboro (Vt.) Memorial Hospital has cut six administrative positions as it aims for $4 million in reductions and new revenue to balance its $119 million annual budget, VTDigger reported June 12.
The layoffs impacted the senior director of revenue cycle, director of radiology, outpatient specialty practice manager, a data scientist and two executive assistants, according to the report.
Hospital leaders said in May that they were exploring 40 strategies to save or earn money between then and the Sept. 30 end of the fiscal year, according to the report. Options range from capturing more revenue through new services to reducing expenses through a hiring freeze that began April 1.
Last fall, the hospital requested a 4.7% increase in its commercial insurance rate from the Green Mountain Care Board, but the health system regulator capped any rise at 3.4%, according to the report. The board said the hospital should instead reduce “system inefficiencies.”
Brattleboro Memorial President Christopher Dougherty said the hospital is looking to avoid further reducing its 520-person workforce, but further cuts couldn’t be ruled out, according to the report.
“I do think there’s hope that we are making progress in addressing our financial challenges, and we do have some opportunities to continue to accelerate that, short of reductions in force,” Mr. Dougherty told the news outlet.
