The Marshfield Clinic system has announced 119-full time jobs will be eliminated. A statement from Chief Operating Officer, Jim Coleman blames the poor economy, high deductible health insurance plans and fundamental changes in how health care is delivered for reducing the number of patients.
Coleman says other workers have had their hours reduced and some open staff positions have not been filled.
He also says people losing their jobs in one department of the clinic will be given first consideration for open positions in other parts of the system.
The Marshfield Clinic has 8,000 employees, two hospitals and 57 clinics throughout Wisconsin.
Statement from Jim Coleman, Chief Operating Office- Marshfield Clinic
Marshfield Clinic is in the process of adjusting staffing to meet changing patient needs. This process was originally announced in early June.
Marshfield Clinic, like all health care organizations nationwide, is experiencing reduced patient demand due to the continued sluggish economy as well as the growing prevalence of high-deductible health insurance plans. In addition, changes taking place in the national health care system are altering reimbursement models and fundamentally shifting the way health care is delivered. We find ourselves having to scale back in some areas, while needing to expand in others. This is necessary to continue to provide the highest-quality care for our patients, without disruption to services.
Faced with these realities, Marshfield Clinic is making every effort to ensure that resources are allocated to those areas that are most beneficial to patients. This has resulted in a reduction in staff equivalent to about 144 full-time positions. To minimize the impact to both patients and staff, this was accomplished through a combination of reduction in hours for some staff, not filling some open positions and the elimination of 119 positions systemwide. (The clinic employs more than 8,000 people.)
Realizing that any reduction is traumatic for those directly involved, we’ve made every effort to be compassionate and respectful to those affected by these changes. Just as importantly, every effort is being made to mitigate the impact of staff reductions. Anyone whose job is eliminated is being given first consideration for any open positions in the Marshfield Clinic system. In fact, some whose positions were eliminated have already obtained new positions in areas that must be expanded to meet growing patient demand.
While change of this nature is always difficult, we believe we’re handling this situation in a manner that best serves our patients and our staff.
