Baptist Medical Center in Jackson, Miss., laid off 186 people, or 5 percent of a total staff of more than 3,700, over the past week. The cuts were part of an initiative to cut overall spending by at least $16 million because reimbursements haven't kept pace with costs, the Clarion Ledger reports.

"Expenses are going up faster than our income," CEO Kurt Metzner told the Ledger Monday. "We have to press the reset button and balance our income and expenses."

Those who were laid off could apply for 136 job openings, he said. As of Tuesday, parent company Baptist Health Systems listed 108 open jobs on the hospital website. Many are for patient care associates and staff RNs. Workers who opt not to apply for other positions at the hospital will be offered help finding work elsewhere through an employee assistance program.

"We're going to be asked to do more with less," Metzner told WJTV Monday.

But he added that the cuts, which included 14 department heads and managers, will not affect the nurse-to-patient ratio.

Some $13 million will be saved by cutting duplicated services and renegotiating supplier contracts, according to Metzner. In another cost-cutting measure, the medical center will end inpatient pediatric surgery due to a shortage of patients.

While cutting back on hospital expenses, Baptist also is in the midst of building a $30 million, five-story medical office building, the Ledger reports.

To learn more:
- check out Baptist's press release
- watch WJTV's video and read this article
- read the Clarion Ledger article
 
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