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Beth Israel doctors donate to stave off layoffs
Massachusetts attorney Thomas M. Kiley, http://www.tomkileylaw.com, concentrates on legal issues surrounding children’s health. A recent article in the Boston Globe said the heads of 13 medical departments at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center said they would donate $350,000 to the hospital in an effort to reduce staff layoffs.
The doctors also called on hundreds of other doctors affiliated with Beth Israel to donate money as a way to save jobs for their colleagues. The doctors sent a letter to 1,100 physicians at hospitals and in private practice asking them to make as generous a contribution as possible. The money raised will go to support job preservation among the hospital staff.
According to the article, Beth Israel Hospital, http://www.bidmc.org, is one of the city’s major academic medical centers. They announced they are facing a $20 million loss in the current fiscal year, and would have to include layoffs in their cost-cutting plans.
Paul Levy, the hospital’s chief executive, decided to meet with employees and solicit ideas to save money and preserve jobs. He then wrote on his blog that the meetings had resulted in enough cost savings to reduce the number of planned layoffs from 600 to 150. To further reduce the number of layoffs, the department heads each contributed about $27,000 from their annual pay.
Levy has contributed personally to the hospital as well. As part of cost savings, Levy cut his pay 10 percent, while other senior executives will see their pay reduced 5 percent. The hospital also will not pay bonuses this year.
The doctors who donated said they feel strongly about helping the hospital where they work and they are hoping this donation will also help their colleagues. The doctors are giving what they can, according to their own personal financial situations and responsibilities.
The financial troubles at Beth Israel Deaconess are the same as those affecting hospitals around the country. Many have faced unexpected downturns in the total number of patients as people hit by the recession have put off elective surgery and other procedures that carry large co payments. Others are also without health insurance as a result of losing their jobs.
The mission of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center indicates it is a hospital with " a vision, a passion, a team, a commitment, a reason – a medical center with heart." The Medical Center has a state-of-the-art trauma center, sophisticated minimally invasive techniques, and innovative training and technology. These clinical initiatives are combined with a research enterprise and a Harvard-affiliated medical education program.
After two years of strong growth, the number of patients at the hospital is down about 1 percent in the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. The hospital will announce the total number of layoffs by next week. Paul Levy has been holding meetings with the BIDMC community to find solutions to the current fiscal crisis. To donate to BIDMC, go to: http://www.bidmc.org.
