Hospitals trimming staff with use of technology - mobility at work

Outsourcing dictation and transcription services along with medical records provide the answers. Portable units such as PDA Pocket PCs and tablets help get the job done. Some of this can be done in house as well by using Dragon dictation on portable units too. They have both enterprise and individual solutions. BD

Three prominent Denver-area hospitals are trimming staff or outsourcing work, the organizations confirmed Monday. Meanwhile, officials with Children's Hospital in Denver confirmed that the nonprofit also is shaking up its staff.
St. Joseph Hospital in Denver will cut its workforce by about 70 people starting this week. The cuts include 30 part- or full-time employees. The nonprofit also plans to let contracts expire for about 40 temporary workers. Separately, Centura Health said Monday that it has decided to outsource a majority of its medical transcription work to a company named MedQuist. The move, which affects about 100 workers, will help the nonprofit "provide transcription services at a lower cost," Centura said in a statement.
"The Denver population is healthier this year than last year," said Minkin, who added that the cuts were made throughout the hospital, including clinical areas such as radiology. "This year, the need was down."
Payroll surgery
Announced staffing changes at three metro-area hospitals:
St. Joseph Hospital: About 70 cuts, including 30 part- or full-time employees and about 40 temporary workers.
Children's Hospital: 41 full- and part-time jobs will be "restructured."
Centura Health: About 100 cuts because of outsourcing medical transcriptions.