Pointing to lagging admissions, which have reportedly been running 3 to 6 percent below budget since January, Indian River Medical Center President Jeff Susi announced the hospital is eliminating the equivalent of 50 full-time positions.
The news came in a letter sent today to hospital employees. As part of a larger workforce reduction intended to save approximately $3 million, seventeen full-time and 4 part-time employees were laid off yesterday, including one director, four managers and supervisors and two registered nurses.
Susi explained that he expects IRMC to experience “budget pressures” for the foreseeable future. He attributed below-anticipated admissions to new federal reimbursement guidelines for a number of conditions that must now be treated on an outpatient basis.
According to Susi, the level of staff cuts would have been deeper, were it not for the success of the hospital’s heart program, the continued development of a physician network and the planned cancer center.
Indian River Guardian 
The idea of laying off staff to make up for very poor management is really an on going history here. Having been caught up in it 5 years ago it’s continuous. Why is this Administration still in charge? The hospital was doing great until Susi took over and has gone straight down hill since with now over 300 people losing their jobs. A full investigation of the books is in order. This is a county tax based hospital.
It is of no surprise that this hospital would be laying off. Whether you are in a car wreck on Hwy 60 or a poor man having a heart attack, first responder will always be Holmes Regional Medical Center (Health First) or Lawnwood Medical Center. IRMC is known as the rich man’s hospital. Since most of the wealthy have gone home for the summer, you will continually have seasonal employment issues! Perhaps catering to the community at large is in order.
For all of our medical needs, we have skipped IRMC for 27 years. Holmes Regional is our hospital. Isn’t it a shame to have to drive 40 miles North to receive quality care for cash pay patients? Definitely some community outreach is needed to change the perception that the community has.