Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth had an operating loss of $6.47 million for 2017.
MCMH acting president John Ronan told the Ellsworth American that turning around the hospital’s losses is about building up primary care.
“We have to find ways to see more patients on a given day,” he said. For 2016, MCMH’s loss was $6.35 million.
MCMH is implementing a strategy for keeping patients at the local hospital, by increasing local access to specialists.
Hancock County’s other two hospitals, Mount Desert Island Hospital in Bar Harbor and Blue Hill Memorial Hospital are operating in the black. Blue Hill Memorial posted a $950,000 gain for FY 2017.
MDI Hospital President/CEO Art Blank attributed that hospital’s success to financial support from the community, cost-effective operations and an integrative health care model, with hospitalists on duty around the clock.