On the heels of the worst projected deficit in its entire operating history, the Saskatoon Health Region (SHR) is facing another.
The projected gap isn’t nearly as wide as the one in 2016-17 between revenues and expenses but it’s still pretty bad.
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“We had started out last year with a projection as high as 64 million that was later revised to approximately 34 million – just by coincidence that happens to be the same number we’re projecting right now,” Dan Florizone, president and CEO of SHR, said.
A plan is now in place to balance the budget, with 14 strategic initiatives to be reviewed and approved by the Ministry of Health.
“They maybe considering all or part or rejecting certain initiatives,” Florizone added.
“Our job is to just continue to seek and work closely with them to identify a plan that does work and is acceptable.”
The challenge, said Florizone, is improving health care while facing a financial shortfall.
“Usually the trepidation about what might be next is a lot worse than the reality of what is next.”
In 2016-17, SHR ended the year with a $4.2 million surplus after digging itself out of a massive deficit.
Staff and physicians were able to reduce overtime costs by nearly 20 per cent but sick time continued to plague the region.
In total, 170 sustainability initiatives eventually helped SHR bounce back last year. That, in addition to a one-time cash injection from the province in the form of $20.9 million.
According to Florizone, 70 positions were also reduced to try to get numbers back in the black.
“I will continue to be committed to making sure we focus on patient, resident, client, on quality and safety and making sure that if there are changes to positions, to jobs, to work – that we use attrition wherever possible.”
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At this point, he wouldn’t rule out job cuts but vowed to communicate to staff what he knows when he knows it.
The region will also be reviewing its revenue sources to close the gap.
“What do we charge for, what should we charge for, what could we charge for?” Florizone remarked, things like meals, parking adjustments and leased space.
“So we’re looking at all of those revenue sources and asking the question, how could we promote revenue without negatively affecting those we provide care to, what would be a win-win.”
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Here are a few of the other highlights in terms of what the region has experienced over the past five years:
- 13 per cent increase in population;
- 1.3 per cent rise in emergency department visits;
- 4.8 per cent boost in surgical cases;
- 6.4 per cent influx in hospital days since 2014-15;
- 8.8 per cent growth in delivery of babies in the region; and
- 14 per cent surge in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) days since 2014-15.
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