TriStar to shutter area facility

HCA subsidiary also plans to eliminate some 50 administrative and management positions during the next year

Email | Print By Walker Duncan

HCA’s Tennessee arm TriStar Health is planning to shut down one of its Middle Tennessee facilities effective next month.

The hospital giant’s subsidiary is set to close the book on Portland Medical Center by the end of next year, a move that will affect about 60 employees.

Additionally, the company plans to eliminate roughly 50 administrative and management positions during 2009. This will be done by not filling open positions and by reassigning employees with a clinical background from administrative positions to direct patient care.

Portland has been a slow performer ever since the company purchased it three years ago from Adventist Health System. According to HCA officials, who confirmed the move, the facility has had a very low in-patient census.

According to the company, in-patient and emergency services provided at Portland, which has been “a facility of Hendersonville Medical Center” for the last two years, will now be consolidated into the latter hospital.

Other services such as diagnostic imaging will remain.