A Week In Business

Bank Announces Retirement,
Promotions, Transfers
BERLIN — Raymond M. Thompson, president and CEO of Calvin B. Taylor Banking Company in Berlin, has announced that William H. Mitchell, executive vice president chief operating officer, will be retiring from the bank on Sept. 30.
Mitchell joined Taylor Bank on June 1, 1970 and spent 43 years dedicated to Taylor Bank customers, stockholders and employees. The Board of Directors and the entire staff of the bank extend their best wishes as he embarks on a well-deserved retirement.
Following Mitchell’s retirement announcement, Thompson announced the following promotions and transfers.
Senior Vice President Tina Kolarik has been promoted to operations officer. Her office is located at the Main Office in Berlin.
Senior Vice President Peggy Welsh has been promoted to branch administration officer. Her office is located at the Main Office in Berlin.
Assistant Vice President and Security Officer Ray Robinson will transfer to the bank’s 20th Street Office as branch manager.
Jennifer Figgs has been promoted to branch manager of the bank’s West Ocean City location.

Company Producers Honored
OCEAN CITY — Mark Fritschle of the Mark Fritschle Group – Condominium Realty recently announced the company’s sales, settlement and listing leaders for August.
Top listing agents by unit were, in order, Kevin Decker, Sheri Smith, Wayne Phillips and Grant Fritschle.
Top listing agents by volume were Kevin Decker, Grant Fritschle and Wayne Phillips.
Top selling agents by units were Grant Fritschle, Jon Barker, Tina Dorsey, Nick Bobenko and Sheri Smith.
Top settled agents by units were Wayne Phillips, Kevin Decker, Nick Bobenko, Annie Buxbaum and Sheri Smith.
Top settled agents by volume were Grant Fritschle, Jon Barker and Kevin Decker.

New Events Manager
OCEAN CITY — The Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association has announced Liz Walk has joined its team as event manager.
Originally from Sarasota, Fla., Walk received a Bachelor of Science from Wheaton College in Massachusetts. Currently, she is pursuing her Masters in Business.  Her adventure in Ocean City began when she arrived a couple of years ago to take care of her grandmother. Once in the area, she quickly fell in love with the relaxed resort feel, the friendliness of the Eastern Shore and the sand between her toes.
Her love for hospitality came through her hostess duties at Sunset Grille where you may still find her on occasion. Helping members comes natural as she honed her customer service skills while working with both the Berlin and Ocean Pines chambers. In her free time, you can catch her on our coast enjoying her new hobby of paddle boarding.

PRMC Workforce
Reduction Explained
SALISBURY — Peninsula Regional Medical Center (PRMC) last week announced a reduction in its workforce with the permanent elimination of 58 positions.
Separated employees are being provided a severance package based on their years of service. The hospital announced that even with this workforce reduction, there will be no impact on the quality of care provided and PRMC will maintain the level of care and the ratio of care providers at the bedside.
“This was an extremely difficult decision but a necessary action to re-balance our hospital,” said Roger A. Follebout, Jr., PRMC’s Community Relations Director. “With inpatient volumes declining, it’s clear we needed to make staffing adjustments across all levels of the organization, and we’ll continue to reassess those levels and other budget and supply needs throughout this current fiscal year and going forward. This is healthcare’s new reality.”
In tandem with the workforce reduction, a voluntary early retirement package is being offered to approximately 130 staff members meeting the requirements, including 15 years of service and being 62 years of age.
“Those offered the option of early retirement, as required by law, are being given time to decide if they voluntarily want to accept that package,” said Follebout. “So it’s difficult now to say how many positions could possibly be open and when, and in what departments and divisions until all 130 or so make their decisions known.”
At PRMC, there are 66 fewer patients in the hospital, on average, each day than just a year ago. The Medical Center is now licensed for 288 beds and expects that number to decrease to 250 within the next two years as inpatient demand continues to decline. PRMC was licensed for 363 beds four years ago.
As services transition away from an inpatient setting, locations like Peninsula Regional’s existing Woodbrooke Medical Complex in Salisbury and the soon to open Delmarva Health Pavilion at Millsboro will become essential to providing that style of care closer to the patient. PRMC has discussed plans for additional health pavilions in other areas of Delmarva in the coming years.
The recent economic downturn has accelerated the push for efficiency for all American healthcare providers. At the federal level, Medicare reduction through sequestration has hurt all hospitals. For PRMC, that amounted to $4 million in lost revenue. In addition, Maryland’s reimbursement system for hospitals is unique, and must respond to federal pressures as charges for our hospital-based services are set by the Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC). This year, the HSCRC granted hospitals a 1.65 percent adjustment, while inflation climbed 2.31 percent.
“Patients aren’t going to other hospitals and this is not a reflection on the quality of care being provided by our hospital or any Maryland hospital,” said Christopher Hall, Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at PRMC.  “The volume changes are based on a multitude of factors: in these difficult economic times, they’re just choosing not to utilize those inpatient hospital services unless it’s absolutely necessary, there’s also a reduction in re-admissions, more care in the outpatient setting and enhanced medical management to name just a few. As we meet the challenges ahead-PRMC will remain committed and focused on our overall mission to provide the highest quality care with the greatest patient experience at the most affordable cost.”