Citing concerns about the hospital’s current budget issues, the Cookeville Regional Financial Committee tabled a $300,000 expenditure Tuesday night for employee software.
The software would allow department heads access to employee profiles and organizational charts. At the same time, leadership can share and request feedback, and work on individual goal management. Committee Chair Danny Rader said this is something the board should explore as a potential cost-cutting measure.
“Based on the recent publicity and if the hospital is to consider tightening its belt this seems to be a perfect example and an opportune example of something we maybe don’t need,” Rader said. “It would give us an opportunity that our resources were being directed toward patient care.”
Past Chairman Kevin Carter said he understood the importance of maximizing its utilities, the hospital could face some hard times on the employee side in the times ahead. He said other than the patients, the most important people in the hospital are its employees.
If the board decided against renewing this software, the hospital would revert back to manual systems to do these employee-based procedures. The hospital has utilized the software for one year. Human Resources Senior Vice President Angel Lewis said the software has helped cut down on the time it takes to do evaluations as well as the ability to track employee goals.
Carter said if the medical center is going to be asking employees to step up productivity, the tools need to be available for them to do so.
“Our number two priority should be the employees,” Carter said. “And with that being the case, I would like to see what else is out there that we might be able to make adjustments in before we have to do this. Because I have found over the years these types of systems to be extremely important especially when you’re running a performance-based organization. Which no matter how good this one is at this point, it’s got to get better.”
Board Member Dr. Scott Copeland opened up a larger conversation about if there are more things in the hospital’s budget, such as this software, that do not deal directly with patient care that the hospital could drop to save money.
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