Losses continue to mount, but Hutcheson Health System board members say the Fort Oglethorpe-based hospital’s fortunes are surely – but slowly – changing.
Something else that might change, and more quickly, is the structure of the hospital’s board and the manner in which its directors are chosen.
The financial report given during last Wednesday’s board meeting showed losses for January, though high, were less than projected in the annual budget.
The hospital lost about $983,000 during the month; nearly $120,000 more than the same month one year ago, but hospital officials said that is not as bad as it seems at first glance. During January 2011, nearly twice as many surgeries were performed and the hospital had nearly twice as many patients and still lost about $860,000.
And while revenue lags, over the past four months Hutcheson has steadily trimmed expenditures even as it adds staff and services.