Commerce Hospital Cuts Jobs

45 jobs have been cut from a northeast Georgia hospital due to what it says is declining revenue from Medicare and Medicaid. The BJC Medical Center in Commerce says it provided more than $1.3 million in services to indigent patients last year. The hospital also says it absorbed $5 million in losses from unpaid medical bills. Support staff took the brunt of the cuts, but positions were also eliminated from medical staff. The Commerce hospital has a staff of about 400.

Hospital woos buyer

A northeast Georgia hospital is going up for sale. Leaders of Banks-Jackson-Commerce Hospital Medical Center – or BJC – have signed a non-binding letter of intent to sell. The prospective buyer is Marietta-based Doctors Hospital of Georgia. The goal is to find a buyer who will then build another hospital nearby. The hospital authority has wanted to build a new $37 million public hospital but couldn't afford the project on its own.

(Associated Press)

Commerce hospital to drop labor/delivery services

The weak economy has made a direct impact on certain hospital services in Commerce. MainStreetNews.com reports this morning that BJC Medical Center will close its labor and delivery services as of December 9th. The hospital’s CEO says the closing will help trim the facility’s deficit by up to $750,000. BJC Medical Center officials say they cannot sustain services with current Medicaid reimbursements. Patients will be sent to hospitals in Athens and Gainesville.