In what is expected to occur nationwide, New Hampshire healthcare facilities are pushing through job cuts to offset a $250M budget cut, according to an article issued by NHPR.  The Medicaid reimbursement cuts are likely to affect not only the number of jobs but the benefits provided to existing employees.  The recent debt deal adopted by Congress and the President leads some analysts to conclude that individual hospitals could face Medicare payment cuts  of as much as $1.4M annually over the next 10 years.

This imposes further demands on healthcare facilities to take action to counter the negative effects on employee morale and satisfaction.  Given the existing pressures on medical caregivers and the added tension of job and benefit cuts, medical facilities must take additional steps to avoid an impact on quality of care and patient length of stay metrics.  Facilities are well advised to appeal to the most important job satisfaction criteria for their caregivers such as work-life balance and meaningful engagement with colleagues and management.  This provides a safety net against unwanted turnover in the caregiver workforce.