Missoula medical center cuts positions

MISSOULA — Community Medical Center in Missoula is eliminating the equivalent of about 60 full-time positions through a combination of furloughs and 20 job cuts.

Hospital CEO Steve Carlson tells The Missoulian in a story on Saturday that a decreased demand for acute care services has forced the reduction at the facility that employs more than 1,020 full- and part-time workers.

“I think naturally some people are disappointed, and I understand that,” Carlson said. “We take no satisfaction in having to adjust work hours for people I’m sure are feeling the economic pinch.”

Managers have been taking a one-day furlough each pay period the last two months as the center attempts to attain about $3 million in savings. Carlson said the ratio of nurses to patients will remain within accepted national standards. Nurses are about a third of the hospital staff.

Carlson said the reductions are needed because fewer patients are being admitted for at least 24 hours for acute care. That’s also been happening at other hospitals.

“Yes, there is a trend nationwide for hospitals to see fewer acute care stays,” said Bob Olsen, vice president of the Montana Hospital Association.

He said advances in surgical techniques have led to less invasive procedures and shorter hospital stays, as well as a decrease in readmission rates. Some other reasons for less demand for acute care services include increased vaccination rates for common acute illnesses and people deciding against non-essential procedures because of larger co-pays under insurance plans.

Still, he noted that some hospitals are seeing an increase in acute care stays. Reasons for that include population growth and cuts in services at smaller hospitals, pushing patients to larger centers.