Crozer-Keystone Health System To Cut 325 Jobs In Delaware Valley

Here is yet another mass layoff story from the health care industry. Newsworks.org has the details:

The Crozer-Keystone Health System is laying off 325 workers from its five hospitals and one health network in the Delaware Valley.

Spokeswoman Kathy Scullin said the health system's bottom line is hurting from the shift from inpatient to outpatient treatments.

"Insurance companies who used to reimburse us for a three-day patient stay are now only reimbursing us for 18 hours, so we're losing thousands of dollars on these cases," Scullin said.
In the last 18 months, Scullin said, about 25 percent of traditional inpatient business has shifted to outpatient.

Scullin says the layoffs will be enacted proportionally throughout the health system's 7,000 employees.

So far, 150 employees have taken the early retirement packages offered to reduce forced layoffs.

Bill Cruice, from the union that represents nurses at Crozer-Chester Medical Center, said the reasons given by the hospital for the layoffs do not ring true to him.

"They made $8 million the first six months of the (fiscal) year," Cruice said. "So there doesn't seem to be a sync between the hospital making money and saying that they need to downsize."

Bill...Bill...Bill...how is the hospital ever going to attract a top CEO talent vulture if it actually has to pay its employees?


Bonus: There's no truth to the rumor that Crozer-Keystone employs Dr. Nick