MD Anderson cutting staff by 1,000 workers via layoff, retirement; no doctors affected

[TexasTowelie]

Source: Houston Chronicle

MD Anderson Cancer Center will cut its payroll by about 1,000 people, including 800 to 900 layoffs, the institution's leaders announced Thursday.

No doctors or clinical-care nurses will lose their jobs, as MD Anderson reduces costs to try to stem operating losses. The layoffs will save the cancer hospital about $120 million.

The reduction, nearly 5 percent of MD Anderson's 20,000-employee work force, had been feared at the acclaimed cancer center since late last month when officials confirmed operating losses of more than $50 million in both September and October. A cost-containment plan had been implemented then that stopped short of layoffs, but officials warned that staff cuts were under consideration.

"I want to inform you of a decision that will impact our MD Anderson family, an action we've all been working tirelessly to avoid," Dr. Ron DePinho, president of MD Anderson, said in a video to employees Thursday morning. "Despite great effort from our entire MD Anderson community, it has become clear that we must act now to protect our ability to continue investing in our mission to end cancer."

Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/MD-Anderson-set-to-announce-layoffs-today-10837056.php

[Chernobyl]

1. MD Anderson has been transitioning to Cerner for their EMR system

and it's been a disaster. I've heard estimates of the new system missing millions in charges it just never billed. They've been bleeding out for a year now, things are getting a little better but the damage has been done.

[Raven123]

14. I can believe that

I worked at a hospital that transitioned to Cerner, it was a mess. I doubt the English language has an adjective adequate to describe the depth and breadth of problems incurred by these EMR transitions.

[Vilis Veritas]

20. Is that EPIC? I have been going to MDA for 1.5 years now and the system

they implemented last April was called EPIC is that owned by Cerner? I thought it was EPIC Systems a rival to Cerner.

We all called it EPIC failure.

Lost Prescriptions, prescriptions that dont get filled due to a single button click, longer patient wait times, etc.

I can only imagine that the system is dropping charges therefore not billing for them.

[Chernobyl]

22. Cerner and Epic are competing products from different companies.

They're both known to be difficult to implement.

[dhol82]

2. And it will only get worse when they cut the ACA

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

3. But so many of MDA's patients

come from out of town (and out of the country) that I don't know how much lack of ACA would affect their bottom line. For those folks who can only afford to buy health insurance on the exchanges, they probably can't afford to travel for top notch healthcare. I know someone who was "cured" at MDA, but spent thousands of dollars traveling to and from Colorado.

The very best healthcare in the country will always be rationed to those who can afford to travel to get it. It's like that in every country, really...it's just worse, here.

[dhol82]

4. Did not realize MDA was that exclusive.

Do they take Medicare?

[Tanuki]

7. Yes---here is the list of insurance plans they accept,

including traditional Medicare A &B
https://www.mdanderson.org/patients-family/becoming-our-patient/planning-for-care/insurance-billing-financial-support/insurance-plans.html

[dhol82]

10. Good to know

Thanks.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

17. It's not the cost of the medical treatment

and they do accept Medicare. The problem is a lot of people in this country don't live near one of the top medical centers, so travel to a top notch center like M. D. Anderson can get costly. A very good friend of mine housed a friend of hers from out of state for 4 or 5 months so she could get treatment at M D Anderson. Had this woman not had free lodging, she could not have afforded to stay in Houston even at a "relatively" inexpensive extended stay hotel. Most treatments are out patient, although the hospital is obviously full of other patients who do need in-hospital treatment.

Anyway, you can see where travel expenses and lodging can get very expensive very quickly.

[dhol82]

19. Totally.

[milestogo]

5. MDAnderson is where doctors go for treatment when they get cancer.

[JI7]

6. was Trump running the place ?

[milestogo]

8. ?? I doubt he knows it exists.

[JI7]

12. i was joking. it seems like one of those things where it takes really bad management

for this to happen based on the type of place others are saying it is.

[Chernobyl]

25. MD Anderson, like many other US Hospitals is simply trying to comply with

EMR Mandate found in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. They didn't have a choice on whether they would transition to a common EMR system but it does seem like they made some very bad choices when it comes to the company or product that they chose.

[Vilis Veritas]

21. Not just Dr's but world leaders.

The ruler of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan donated 150 million to build new research center and they fly a team to him every month for his treatment.

[dae]

9. Thanks for the OP and Chronicle article link.

[TexasTowelie]

13. You're welcome.

Seeing that it is a nationally-known cancer center it seemed worthy of LBN.

[Chernobyl]

23. Not just nationally, MD Anderson is the best known and higher rated cancer treatment hospital

in the world. The main Houston campus located in the Texas Medical Center is literally the center of the cancer treatment world. Something like 20% of MD Anderson's patients travel to the hospital from outside the United States, many foreign governments send their dignitaries dealing with cancer to MD Anderson.

[keithbvadu2]

11. Time for Trump to the rescue...... Save those jobs, Donald!

[TexasBushwhacker]

15. The good news is the Houston Medical Center at large

has about 3000 vacancies listed on Indeed. Hopefully these folks will get new jobs quickly.

[MrModerate]

16. So what were these people doing that they can be laid off . . .

Without reducing doctor or nurse ranks? Will they absorb the lost hours in (underpaid) overtime with remaining staff?

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

18. Probably will replace a percentage of those

with contract workers for things like janitorial, maintenance, etc. It's the world we live in, now.

[Chernobyl]

24. The local Houston reports are saying that they're going to be laying off quite a few

clerical staff and book keeping, all of MD Anderson's janitorial services are already handled by contract companies.