Tribune putting on some heat
Big headlines in the tribune on Friday reported that Floyd will be cutting staff in 2007.
The News and Tribune - Floyd Memorial Hospital cutting staff hours in 2007
The reporter asked some very good questions, but still did not push for definitive answers in some areas. The reporter also attempted to contact the CEO on more than one occasion but was eventually directed to Mike Ford, the newest VP who was moved into this “VP” position this year while other departments were asked to cut their budgets. Once again, the CEO is avoiding the reporters when the news isn't good.
Here are some of the comments from the article along with commentary:
- No layoffs are planned at the moment, said Mike Ford, the hospital’s vice president of human resources, but “in a couple of months, if we’re still over budget, then there could potentially be some reductions in force.
They need to tell this to the managers of certain departments that they have directed to cut their FTE’s. Just be sure you don’t use the term “layoff”.
- Ford replied, “To be honest, we don’t know. We don’t know how effective this (part-time reduction) will be.”
I agree with the term “we don’t know”. That pretty much sums up this administration.
- Projections show the hospital must eliminate man-hours equivalent to about 90 full-time employees to balance its budget, Ford said.
This seems to disagree with his first statement. The reductions in force are anticipated and already being planned. Just ask the managers who are trying to figure out how to cut their staffs.
- Incoming Chief of Staff John Grief described “a lot of talk going around the hospital” about potential staff reductions.
- “We have not been told anything definitive,” Grief added. “I know some of the employees of the hospital are concerned, but I have not heard of any staff or positions that are in danger.”
Dr. Grief is a better diplomat. The key word is “definitive”. He was at the same meeting as I where the CEO specifically stated we need to cut approximately 130 FTE’s (full time equivalents) to meet the projected 2007 budget. The CEO did not give specifics about where or who needed to be cut.
- Bob Kleehammer, chairman of the hospital’s board of trustees, said Chief Executive Officer Bryant Hanson is “pretty adamant” that “we’re not going to have any layoffs.”
This statement here pretty much epitomizes the Board’s knowledge of what goes on at Floyd and how much accurate information they are receiving. What does the CEO tell them and how is that information sugar-coated. If they are receiving the information, how far is the Board willing to go to protect the CEO in the face of evidence to the contrary? Maybe its time for a change in Board composition.
- Board of trustee’s member Von Marshall said he expected to be briefed on staffing at the board’s meeting Tuesday afternoon.
Mr. Marshall is one of the minority of Board members who has challenged this administration and has voiced concerns in the past. I am sure he is anxious to get the truthful and accurate information.
- Scaling back hours on all part-timers would close the budget gap, Ford said, but could leave some services wanting.
This is a gross understatement. Cutting hours will leave services wanting as Mr. Ford has said.
- Care would not be affected by staff cuts, Ford said
Which is it Mr. Ford. Will the cuts affect patient care or not. It seems your statements are contradictory.
- “We’re really hoping that our volumes go up so we need the extra staff,” Ford said.
The employees are the ones hoping. The administration is supposed to be proactively doing things to make this a reality. Where is the plan to increase volumes? How do you increase volumes by cutting Operating Room hours, Interventional hours and support staff that make these things happen? Administration should be doing more than “hoping”.
- “Anytime you start cutting jobs, especially from a county hospital, that’s not good, especially when you have a $65 million expansion,” Bush said Thursday.
This is correct Mr. Bush. Now we expect you and the other County Commissioners to do what is right. You need to wait on appointing any new Board members until the newly elected Commissioner (Mr. Seabrook) takes office in January. Do not allow a special session to take place before the end of the year so that 2 political appointees can be named before Commissioner Reisert leaves office. The hospital, staff, physicians and community are relying on you to do what is right.
posted by Anonymous at 6:15 AM
44 Comments:
Thank you so much for starting out the week by addressing the Tribune article this past Friday. Now some of the negative bloggers supportive of the hospital administration can hear and read some of the happenings from a different source. The same happenings you've been speaking out on for months. I wonder if they will be as critical towards the Tribune as they have been towards you? So many don't have a clue what's on the line here and why so many, like yourself and FMHHS associates, dwell on this topic. They don't appreciate the fact that: 1. Hospital associates are facing a situation that could affect their future and their families. 2. As cuts are made and nurses take on more responsibilities, including more patients, they each have a license being put on the line. One wrong move and their careers are over. 3. Doctors, like yourself, put your trust in the hospital and it's staff to care for your sick patients. If theirs not enough staff, your patients are in jeopardy. We can only hope that Commissioner Bush will keep in mind that major cut in staff is not rational with a new $65 million dollar expansion. People need to remember that the building may look impressive on the outside, but when you come in you'll find a new ER that's only halfway being used, brand new 3rd & 4th floors in the new section sitting empty, an old gift shop sitting empty, an old ER sitting empty, and an old ICU/TCU sitting empty. In otherwords, a lot of empty unused wasted space. Finally, as far as increased volume? FMHHS has had every bed filled more times than not over the last couple of months, creating total bed diversions. The only way to gain much more volume is to market the daylights out of the hospital and create more beds in these now empty spaces. Problem is, if you add the beds you have to add staff, but how can you add staff if staff is being cut?
How many jobs could be saved if one of the many VPs stepped down or was "laid off." There are plenty of ways to save money without cutting the jobs of the people that matter most to the hospital. The hospital has recently started using an outside company to pick up paper that needs to be shreded, and I'm sure that they charge by the pound. What was wrong with doing it yourself like they used to do. Hanson's only concern is himself and not the well being of thousands of employees. If job cuts are made I know that many more people will leave. I will.
Dr. Dan will still be targeted because he continues to speak up. He is an easy person to isolate and point a finger at.
There are many of us who truly appreciate your continued ability to speak up for us
It is rather humorous how we have not seen your usual critics chiming in before 7-8:00 am.
We appreciate what you have been trying to accomoplish and most of us know we need some radical changes in leadership
I find it amazing how the administration can color the reality of "lay-offs" & "cutbacks" with their nebulous phrases and examples. If it looks, walks and smells like a duck, its a duck! Associates that are fired or quit are not being replaced. Part-time associates hours are being reduced, and openings are generally not being filled. Our department as many others depend heavily on part-time and PRN workers that regularly work well beyond the actual FTE's that they were hired for. A good portion of our coverage at FMHHS consists of our part-time & PRN workers, and if their hours are cut too much, they will be forced to look elsewhere for their hours. The market for good healthcare workers is stil tight, and our good employees at Floyd will have no trouble being hired in another hospital. But the reality of the fantasy of "growing more with less" is one that the everyday working staff at just can not beleive in. I have been a reader and occasional contributer to this blogspot since hearing of it. I have decided to become an Identity. I choose "Mushroom" because that is how the administation at Floyd treat their employees. They want to keep us in the dark and feed us manure!(no cussing here Dr.Dan!)
I think the term, "lay off," implies that people will return. Administration is using terms "reductions in force" and "eliminate man-hours" to indicate people will be gone for good. We are already stretched to the max. I don't think the staff will stand for more cut-backs. The nurses are seeing sicker patients on the floors. It is not safe to do with less. I, for one, appreciate the fact that you are looking out for your patients and the staff at FMHHS.
You also stated, "That is correct, Mr. Bush." You liked typing that, didn't you? Just a little good-natured ribbing there.
Welcome to the real world that all the rest of us live in. Talk to anyone who has worked (or used to work) at Ford, GE, Vencor, Phillip Morris, Brown and Williamson or in the corporate offices of any local bank that was acquired by an out-of-town entity. Ebbs and flows in staffing and other expense items are a normal part of organizational life. And, if you think things are, or are going to be, tough at Floyd, I would suggest that you talk to your friends who work at other hospitals and nursing centers in our area. Do you think that Norton and Jewish (who have actually LOST money lately) have better working conditions than you have at Floyd? Life is tough all over.
Would you prefer that staffing and other expenses remain at unsustainable levels until the doors have to be shut for good? Or would you prefer that management be proactive in keeping expenses in line with revenues to protect our local hospital and over 1000 jobs in our community?
Periodic belt tightening and employment fluctuations are no surprise to most of us who don't live with enormous subsidies from the government and third party payors. You know government payments are going down and insurers are clamping down on expenses they will reimburse. What did you think was going to happen? Or is it easier to whine and complain rather than think?
Well it appears our administrator must be on their lunch break and decided to chime in.
What we expect is for the administration to earn their pay.
The hospital's reimbursements from insurers have gone up not down. This is mostly do to one VP actually doing his job well.
The hospital received healthy increases from most major insurers in the past 2-3 years and this again is a mis-statement by our anonymous friend.
This staffing cut is mostly because of poor leadership, shotty financial reports and assumptions and a lack of appropriate oversight.
Anon 12:34 -- Amen!
The hospital CEO is not out to destroy planet earth, as some would have us believe. Look what he has to work with. Is it any wonder it's tough to get things done?
Funny how quickly things HB approved while on the board are now someone else's failed strategies. The management team he believes is too incompetent to survive has kept our community hospital profitable and growing for the last ten years or more. Other hospitals in the area have also grown, but some of them have operated in the red in some years. And yet, because he has such a personal dislike of Hanson, HB would have you believe that Floyd is badly run and the current administrative team should be ousted. We are very lucky to have the hospital we have in New Albany and to contantly characterize industry-wide problems as uniquely attributible to Floyd management is a "shoddy" (that would be the correct spelling, HB)cheap shot from an expert cheap shot artist.
"This is mostly do to one VP actually doing his job well."
In this context, the appropriate spelling is "due."
Are you seriously a physician?
I lack the knowledge to comment on the internal workings of the hospital but I have to ask:
Is it fair to voice support for a blog post in which HB derides CEO Hanson for avoiding having his name in the paper while refusing to take responsibility for one's own comments? If Hanson were to post anonymously disparaging doctors and staff, would you consider that appropriate?
HB's always quick to point out the detrimental affects of anonymity when diogenestrainee or some other disagreeable person comments and then often goes further to accuse them of working in conjunction with the administration. When others anonymously comment in support of his viewpoint, though, he says excellent comments from our posters.
Regardless of one's position on the issues, they should be debated transparently and responsibly. Otherwise, critics of the CEO are guilty of some of the same transgressions for which he's criticized.
Although he faltered at first, I give HB credit for eventually making the responsible choice of identifying himself. If other commenters would follow suit, it would make your arguments much more credible for citizens less knowlegeable of the hospital, as would a consistent editorial policy regarding anonymity, regardless of content.
Bluegill wrote: "HB's always quick to point out the detrimental affects of anonymity when diogenestrainee or some other disagreeable person comments and then often goes further to accuse them of working in conjunction with the administration. When others anonymously comment in support of his viewpoint, though, he says excellent comments from our posters."
You have pointed out what, superficially, looks like a "relative" inconsistency in HB's comments. What you have to understand, however, is that HB does not believe in relativism--he is a believer in ABSOLUTE truth, defined as: "Whatever he says is absolutely right and any opinions to the contrary are absolutely wrong."
bluegill,
I understand your views, but you have to realize that most of the anonymous commenters who support what is being said would be fired if their identities are known.
As the blog host, I know who the majority of them are. This is not much different than some other sites. I have these people catch me in the hall, email me etc and tell me who they are.
This is not the case with the critics.
I for one have told Dr. Dan who I am. I would be fired in a minute if my identity were known. I also know several others who are commenting. They too are afraid for their jobs.
Dr. Dan knows probably the majority of the commenters except for those who continually critisize him.
I agree there is a big differnece between the positive and negative comments.
There is no freedom of speech under the CEO dictatorship.
Diogenestrainee:
I understand where your coming from, as well as what might motivate some of the other unknown participants. However, you're just as anonymous as they are so I have to treat your comments with the same level of incredulity.
I often disagree with HB on a range of topics and even find some of his tactics wanting at times, but I respect the fact that he stands by his words. I can't say that about you.
HB:
You may have a general idea of who's commenting on the whole but there's really no way for you to know who said what at any given time without at least requiring the creation of unique IDs with Blogger. Anonymous is anonymous is anonymous.
Having been in a position similar to yours and the other hospital employees while in a previous job, I empathize. From more recent NA revitalization work, I also know how difficult it is to create and maintain a unified, issues-based front.
However, suggesting that critical, anonymous commenters are administrators when you admittedly don't know who they are is just the type of disingenuous tactic used by those working to maintain the good-old-boy networks you rightfully speak against. It only makes you and your arguments look bad to reasonable people on the outside.
If any solution-based movements are to ultimately be successful at the hospital or elsewhere, they can't be predicated on the same behind-the-scenes, cloak and dagger machinations that hallmark the already existing problems. Replacing one insider network with another isn't a solution. We need to change the paradigm, not just the people in it.
Of course, the rest of us have no idea if HB's supporters are the best and the brightest employees or the small clutch of malcontents and underperformers who exist in every organization. And I would guess that HB doesn't know the answer to that either and that makes him dangerous. He risks undermining management's attempts to deal with performance problems by implying that the employee's problem isn't his or her performance, but rather those bad old managers. That is a disservice to the employee who might otherwise respond to coaching and improve.
But, of course, when you are always right you don't have to worry about any little things like that.
In response to anonymous 12:34, I would prefer safe conditions for my patients. I am a nurse. I have patients who are very sick. I cannot take care of them with less staff. Sometimes, it is hard to take care of them with the staff we currently have. I would prefer an administration who has the same goals. I would prefer less administration who uses common sense. Let's see if administration takes a cut. I doubt it. We are not talking about making appliances or cars. We are talking about human lives.
Floyd Memorial Hospital needs MORE staff, not less!!
It could do with less VPs, and cuts in salary and bonuses in the CEO and HR positions too!
Do we think that will happen? Of course not.
Disgraceful and disgusting.
Roz
You know, Roz, I haven't always agreed with all your comments but I was generally impressed with your intelligence and ability to follow a logic trail. But your last posting sounds like what some junior assistant file clerk might say. Do you know how the Floyd CEO is compensated relative to similar CEOs with similar records? Do you know the amount of the bonuses that will be paid to the CEO and HR officer and if they are out of line? I know I don't so I can't figure out how someone else on the outside would be in a position to judge them as overpaid. And, for someone who seems otherwise intelligent, suggesting that compensation cuts for those two people would solve whatever budget problems they are having sounds like you are running for shop steward at a Teamster's Local.
I'm not going to put my hard earn license on the line for Floyd.If things get to hairy,I can always find a job somewhere else.I have a family that depends on my license. CEO probably doesn't care about my student loans, home loans, and etc.
The hospital is always so darn concerned with the survey results. Well, cutting staff will hurt their survey numbers.Lets see where the numbers go...DOWN!!
maybe valla ann can save the hospital she pretends to save everything else
Senator Grassley has been investigating the performance of non-profit hospitals this year under the auspices of the Senate Finance committee. There are many concerns about the levels of executive compensation at non-profits, enough to provoke the Senate into action, so it seems HB is on to something with his campaign to bring to light our local FCMMH situation ala Hanson et al. The Senate held a hearing on the issue in September and the documents are readily available on-line. My second comment concerns the statistics released by INshape Indiana last week showing Hoosiers are in worse health than most other Americans. I worry these facts are like a titanic size wreck about to happen here. Every indicator points to sicker older (and poorer) population in the pipeline. Thank you HB and all the other folks brave enough to stick their necks out and put some of this scary information to the public. A $65 million expansion, high executive compensation, and a population unable to afford healthcare do not bode well for our future.
Sounds to me like the one thing everyone agrees on is that the Hospital is spending more than they are taking in. Perhaps they should look at the salaries of the highest paid and cut those. I don't work there, but I think Hanson and most, if not all, of the doctors who work there are overpaid.
Hey 6:25:18pm
I am very curious
Who is valla ann????
Anon 4:24:
Firstly, thank you for the one compliment.
Secondly, it's OK to disagree! HB is an old and trusted friend of mine, but I'm sure you've seen that we disagree on some issues. It's OK...that's what blogs are for, among other thinngs.
Thirdly, I DO understand that CEOs in a particular industry get paid similar amounts. I personally think, however, that ALL CEOs, CFOs, COOs and the like are WAY WAY overpaid (Sort of like major league baseball players).
I know Floyd's CEO gets a salary, bonuses and perks that are similar to others in his position. My point really is that in a time when those who are at "lower" levels must sacrifice so much, even their very livelyhood, these executives often make hundreds of thousands of dollars, millions of dollars, and in some cases hundreds of millions of dollars (depending on the industry/size of the company)!
That is obscene! Especially when those who are/were the very people providing the services offered or making the product(s), as the case may be.
It's just obscene.
Roz:
Dear, those "executives" have years of experience and years of education. They are paid salaries and spend long hours working without the benefit of "overtime."
I respect your opinion, but in my humble opinion they have respectly earned their "disgusting" salaries...
An anonymous poster said: "Sounds to me like the one thing everyone agrees on is that the Hospital is spending more than they are taking in."
I don't think so. Just a day or so ago HB said that the hospital is still making a profit this year.
And RunawayDoc what a long ridiculous diatribe. You couldn't get three other doctors in Floyd County to agree with you. Who do you think has been pushing for more and more services and equipment over the years? The fact is that over the past several months you and HB have had widely different interpretations of what is valuable and what is not at the hospital. Just another example of how hard it is to balance all the competing interests. There are no perfect solutions, but I, for one, am very proud of our hospital and how it has grown, remained independent and profitable.
to anonymous 08:13.
I bet you are the same one complaining doctors make too much.
Doctors have many more years of education and training compared to a CEO,CFO etc. They put in many more hours working in a week.
They are at the hospital well before the CEO and there well after he leaves for his 8 hour day.
The CEO makes twice as much as most of the primary care physicians on staff. This is obcene.
You ask how I know. I have seen the CEO's contract. It was requested several months ago through a freedom of information act.
If money is so tight at the hospital…How come they are still aggressively buying property on Cottom Ave.?
To the contrary 9:46
You didn't see me write/say anything about MD's salaries, dear sir/madam! I take offense at you hinting that I did!
I just didn't feel Roz Tate was justified in describing CEO's, etc. salaries' as obscene.
I feel MD's should be very well compensated for their many years of education and long work hours.
However, hospital administrators also have education and experience in their fields of training, usually at a masters level or more.
For example, what incentive would there be to manage a facility like FMHHS wherein there are so many critics like you who appear to know so much about the managing of Hospitals that you spew out criticism 24/7 when in fact you have no knowledge of what it actually takes to perform such duties?
As Per HB's statement "The hospital's reimbursements from insurers have gone up not down. This is mostly do to one VP actually doing his job well." This does not say much for the job you are doing, you have been crying for months because your reimbursements from insurers have been going down instead of up. Seems that you should think twice before being critical of anyones job. You have suddenly started to critize the Hospital Expansion, knowing full well you sat on the Board and approved of it. Sounds like the little boy who cried Wolf all the time, and you know what happened to him. If you are critical of everything, you just might get one right. But all I can say is BOO HOO.
Hmmmm Runawaydoc, wonder why many of the Docs from across the river, are doing excellent work at FMH. The statement of putting the Hospital back where it was 10 years ago tells me volumes. Maybe many of the local Doctors can't play as well as the "Big Kids across the River". Could it be you are worrying abourt territory infringement?
Or...maybe Runaway Doc just hasn't been inside the hospital for a while and doesn't know what is going on.
HB and runaway doc are among the best physicians anywhere.
Pointing fingers at them and belittling them certainly shows your lack of knowledge and your bias.
None of the critics have addressed any part of this thread in any meaningful way.
We are sure it is because there is no defense for incompetence of this administration
Roz,
You know that I respect you but I have to agree that your post was not your best effort.
Quick, without looking it up, how much does the CEO make in salary, perks, and bonus? How many VP's are there? What is the pay in the HR and how many people work there?
Can you even come within 20%?
Without this knowledge, it is just rhetoric. If I am wrong in my assumptions, I apologize upfront.
Mark
It seems that Runawaydoc wants everything at FMH to stand at status-quo as it was years ago. Maybe they should put up hitching posts, so patients can tie their horse and buggy, while visiting.
Firstly, this is not my best effort, indeed. I get very emotional regarding this topic becauseas a younger man, I was at the "working man's" end of it on several occaisions. True enough.
Secondly, Mark, your partly right. I cannot spout stats regarding Floyd. Also true enough. I DID, however, just a couple of years ago, do a study on workers salaries/wages versus those of high-level executives.
The findings were worse (to me) than I thought they would have been. Some CEOs actually make over 3000 times what their workers do.
I was expecting 40-50 times more, and I had heard of a case where the CEO in a company made 400 times the workers pay, but 3000!! That IS obscene, at least in THAT particular case.
No one is worth that, education or no. Hell, I have a Master's Degree and beyond and have a summer at Cambridge University under my belt and I don't make that much. Believe it or not, I would never expect to. It's outrageous.
Plus, I just have an aversion to "playing" with people as if they are merely pawns in a game.
It just generally gets my "Scottish" up.
Roz
Roz,
I have seen some of those studies and it does seem outrageous. 3,000 times, crazy. Even 30-40 times seems crazy.
Up front, I do not know what the CEO of our hospital makes. I would place a sizable wager that it is somewhere around 10 times the earnings of an RN. Maybe 10 times is too much but it is no where near 3,000 or even 30 times the amount that is being paid in some businesses.
How did I arrive at my guesses? RN's are around 40-50K per year. I figure Mr. Hanson's pay is about 500K.
OK...I am calm now.
Mark, you are probably in the ballpark regardig the CEOs salary at Floyd.
My point still stands though: I those at the lower levels are expected to sacrifice, what sacrifices are the upper management making? Just giving up a bonus is certainly not enough.
On a side note: My 83 year-old mother fell today. She was injured and taken to the emergency room at Floyd. The personnel there are outstanding and they were working their $#!#@s off. They are way understaffed, NOT overstaffed, period.
That's a first-hand, up-to-date observation from this very day.
Roz
"If" and "regarding"...
SORRY!!
Maybe I'm too calm! LOL!
Runaway doc is ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.
The hospital and county owe a lot to the physicians - period! They bring and/or refer the patients here.
I'm being told many tales of how the surgeons are taking their patients elsewhere, building a surgical center (although they had the opportunity to partner with FMHHS in this regard, but declined) as our surgical outpatient volumes are dropping.
So I ask,
1) What is going on with our physician-administration relationships?
2) Whose responsibility (organizationally) is this to see that the physician-administration relationship is cohesive?
3) From what I can tell s/he is not doing their job.
It's all about relationships.
Next to the physician relationships, our ability to get paid by Medicare (being accredited, but nobody wants to dig that skeleton out of the closet) and our ability to be reimbursed profitably by third party payors (contracting) is not only essential, but vital.
Relationships + Reimbursement =
A successful organization
Who in administration hasn't been doing their jobs?
Roz,
No argument from me about the need of administration(in any business)to feel the pain as much as any employee. Those at the highest level should share an even GREATER burden than the average employee.
I also have no doubt that staffing levels are marginal at best and that those working are busting their rears.
As you know, I suffered the loss of my father 3 weeks ago. While he was not in FCMH, he did spend 3 days in an ICU in a small county hospital. The staff was wonderful.
My wife works in a hospital, so I am not definitely not against the "grunt" staff. I am for taking a fair and balanced view. Gees, I did not just write that, did I?
Runawaydoc, guess you had better talk to your Dr. Dan about compassion and well-being of patients. It seems that he has driven many of his away, because he wasn't making a big enough profit, to continue caring for them. His way or no way.
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