The doom and gloom feeling that has hovered over the hospital for the last year seems to have finally lifted. People seem happier, even relieved, from the security guards at the front desk to the staff moving through the maze of halls.
The hospital, which spent the last year on the verge of closing down, has been reborn with the mission to become a viable, profitable institution that the residents of Bayonne and surrounding communities can rely on.
One thing that won't change - at least not right away - will be its name, despite the recent purchase of the facility by IJKG, LLC, which took ownership on Feb. 1.
Daniel Kane, executive director of BMC, said during a recent interview that under new management, everybody is becoming a partner in the hospital's future.
"We decided initially not to change the name," Kane said. "We might revisit the issue in three or six months. We might ask people what they think and if keeping the name has any value. Of course, to many residents, this will always be Bayonne Hospital."
Changes
The hospital is undergoing significant changes inside and out.
Joe Lawler, a partner in the new hospital who authored a report last year about its condition, said he never imagined he would be where he is today.
"Someone had to step up to the plate," he said. "The hospital is in a review cycle with a lot on the table." Recommendations that Lawler made a year ago to save money and increase revenues are now being implemented - he said this will reduce if not eliminate the financial losses. The hospital has hired firms to manage administration and business purchases, key areas that were neglected in the past.
The hospital was not collecting the revenue it should have, and business practices seemed out of step as well. Lawler said that many of the steps needed to curb the losses could not be taken. Creditors to whom the hospital owed money would not allow the hospital to spend additional money to hire the professionals needed to solve some of the fundamental problems.
"We have three new teams working," he said.
Management meets daily to talk about issues, what works, what doesn't, what has been cut, and what programs should be kept.
While the hospital has plans to increase services, Kane said he does not want to say which ones they are.
"We want to announce them when we put them in place," he said. "We want to show what we can do by action."
Lawler and Kane said that every department is being reviewed and evaluated for what works and what doesn't, with the aim of improving services.
This means looking into every operation and improving elements and technology that have become inefficient.
"We're looking at technology and equipment and upgrading or replacing it where it is needed," Lawler said.
This, of course, means listening to people who work in each area.
Kane said the idea is to bring everyone on as partners in the hospital.
"We're meeting with every department head to learn what they do, what obstacles they face, and to listen to any suggestions they might have to improving performance," he said.
While the sale saved many jobs, the hospital may eventually have to trim staff and has agreements with the unions in this regard.
Reopen obstetrics?
The close of the Obstetric Unit in 2006 became one of the symbolic moments in the move to save Bayonne Medical Center, so it is only natural that Kane and Lawler look ahead to a time when they can eventually reopen it.
An agreement with Horizon - which will open a clinic at the Women's Center on Broadway - will begin expansion of hospital services by providing the necessary clinical aspect the medical center had been losing to smaller providers.
Kane said BMC is hoping to complete an agreement shortly that will bring in a company to operate the hospital's Psychiatric Unit. This would include a new program for geriatric psychiatry; an area Kane believes would benefit Bayonne and its large senior population.
Returning doctors
A key to any successful hospital, of course, is its staff, and for this reason, the hospital is seeking to draw back some of the doctors lost due to previous economic woes, as well as draw in new doctors with new skills that would make the hospital attractive.
The hospital is also hoping to increase its geographical range, especially now that Greenville Hospital is slated to close. Kane said the hospital is looking to attract new patients from areas like Society Hill in Jersey City.
The hospital is also poised to restore another key piece of the recovery process - patient transportation.
"It just makes sense for us to do this here in Bayonne," Kane said.
The hospital cut the service late in 2006 as part of an effort to cut costs. Unfortunately for residents of Bayonne, particularly the senior citizen population, a municipal budget crisis also forced the city to shutdown its own medical transport system.
Although Hudson County Transcend agreed to provide services, it has not been as punctual or reliable as the city or hospital services.
"What we want to get out to the public is that we are working very hard to make the hospital what the community wants it to be," Kane said. "We hope people will come here again."
Other obstacles
However, the hospital still has obstacles to face.
In an apparent effort to get the edge in negotiating with BMC, several insurance carriers, including Aetna and Oxford/United Healthcare, have begun sending out letters to patients saying that the hospital may cease being part of their network within four months.
But Kane said two weeks ago that the hospital would continue to provide coverage for patients with these policies, despite the letters sent out by the companies, which encourage people to seek their health services at other hospitals. The companies are still in negotiations with BMC.
For more on that story, see last week's cover story at www.bayonnecommunitynews.com.
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