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GE Healthcare Laying Off 10 Percent of Workforce
Health Tech Zone ^ | November 19, 2012 | Tracey E. Schelmetic

Posted on 11/19/2012 12:01:10 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

Bad news for GE Healthcare workers in Vermont. The company, which specializes in information technology for the healthcare industry, announced last Thursday that it plans to lay off about 10 percent of its workforce in the state. The company promised, however, to try to find “alternate roles” for those who lose their jobs.

“While GE Healthcare regrets the loss of any jobs, the business needs to make tough decisions in the current economic climate,” company spokesman Benjamin Fox told the Barre Montpelier Times Argus.

It’s unclear at this time how much of GE Healthcare’s workforce these cuts represent, though the Burlington Free Press reported that in January, GE Healthcare employed about 527 people.

The company’s South Burlington, Vermont facility was founded as the medical software producer IDX Systems. GE Healthcare bought IDX in 2005 for $1.2 billion.

Vermont Deputy Commerce Secretary Patricia Moulton Powden called the job losses at GE Healthcare “tragic,” but noted that there are other high-tech companies in the area looking for talented employees.

“The only silver lining is we have a lot of employers looking for this kind of talent,” said Moulton Powden.

Earlier this month, the healthcare giant posted profits of $620 million on sales of $4.31 billion during the three months ended September 30, for a bottom-line gain of two percent but a top-line dip of 0.6 percent, compared with the same period last year. Layoffs have been common as of late across the entire medical devices industry.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: economy; layoffs; obamacare; vermont
Elections have consequences.
1 posted on 11/19/2012 12:01:15 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

But I’m reading workers are “relieved” to lose their jobs. The new normal is failure.


2 posted on 11/19/2012 12:05:21 PM PST by Andrei Bulba (No Obama, no way!)
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To: Andrei Bulba
Abnormal is the new normal.
3 posted on 11/19/2012 12:08:38 PM PST by yobid
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Indeed the free lunch bunch just got slapped in the back of the head.


4 posted on 11/19/2012 12:44:16 PM PST by Vaduz
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Did Mitt get any votes in a state that has a socialist senator? Oh well...


5 posted on 11/19/2012 12:45:51 PM PST by JohnD9207 (Isn't freedom worth fighting for?)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Wasn’t the GE pres Obam’s Jobs czar? Wow, more hopeium for everyone


6 posted on 11/19/2012 12:46:08 PM PST by wrench
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Vermont health workers getting FIRED??!!

Suck it, socialists!

7 posted on 11/19/2012 12:58:04 PM PST by SoFloFreeper
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

How can GE Healthcare lose money today? Huge buckets of federal money are being spent by the feds and the states setting up the exchanges. A well connected company like GE ought to be able to scoop up lots of those dollars easily. If the states don’t go along, Zero will just write an HHS reg that requires they use GE. There’s something fishy about this.


8 posted on 11/19/2012 1:28:58 PM PST by ModelBreaker
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Ironic, considering that GE is/was a huge Obama supporter.


9 posted on 11/19/2012 1:34:59 PM PST by MayflowerMadam
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To: ModelBreaker

Much of their medical services division is moving to China. This after their CEO was involved as an Obama “jobs czar”.


10 posted on 11/19/2012 1:37:33 PM PST by johniegrad
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To: ModelBreaker

Federal money for the exchanges has nothing to do with what GE Healthcare does. They sell software. The exchanges will broker insurance.


11 posted on 11/19/2012 1:41:00 PM PST by Taliesan
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Originally this was IDX Systems, bought by GE in 2005. I’ve been to their headquarters (before GE). Our company has developed interfaces with their systems. GE is a pain in the butt to work with by the way. Much better before GE took over.


12 posted on 11/19/2012 1:45:11 PM PST by 6ppc (It's torch and pitchfork time)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Let's try this again:

Vermont health care workers getting fired?!?

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Suck it, socialists!

13 posted on 11/19/2012 1:45:50 PM PST by SoFloFreeper
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I work in IT at a hospital.

GE has to be the absolute WORST vendor we’ve ever dealt with over the years. The quality of their work has always been pretty good for us, but they are SUCH assholes, and look to squeeze every last dollar they can out of you. They are very similar to interacting with a .gov agency.

As a result, we avoid dealing with them when at all possible. We have phased out just about everything they’ve had at our facilities.


14 posted on 11/19/2012 2:17:15 PM PST by KoRn (Department of Homeland Security, Certified - "Right Wing Extremist")
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I came into work today and 30% of the office had been let go. No word why.


15 posted on 11/19/2012 3:59:58 PM PST by opbuzz (Right way, wrong way, Marine way)
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To: opbuzz
Wow! Where at?

BTW, my late father was a retired Gunnery Sergeant (WWII, Korea, Vietnam) Commo Chief.

16 posted on 11/19/2012 4:04:57 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I work at a major hospital and we just ended our business with IDX. IDX billed our Physician fee’s. We are now using EPIC which has the capability to bill both the Physician and Hospital bills.

Our hospital was a major loss to IDX. Many other hospitals have switched to EPIC as well.


17 posted on 11/19/2012 4:19:34 PM PST by Engedi
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To: Taliesan

“Federal money for the exchanges has nothing to do with what GE Healthcare does. They sell software. The exchanges will broker insurance.”

Lots of healthcare software involved in that. Lots. I’ve read the Colorado grant applications. Besides, what does relevance to the subject have to do with pork?


18 posted on 11/19/2012 4:39:02 PM PST by ModelBreaker
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To: ModelBreaker
"Earlier this month, the healthcare giant posted profits of $620 million on sales of $4.31 billion during the three months ended September 30, for a bottom-line gain of two percent but a top-line dip of 0.6 percent, ..."

They're not.

Impeach the kenyan or secession.


19 posted on 11/19/2012 5:36:04 PM PST by ex91B10 (We've tried the Soap Box,the Ballot Box and the Jury Box; ONE BOX LEFT!)
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To: KoRn
"GE has to be the absolute WORST vendor we’ve ever dealt with over the years"

They're not much better as an employer either: I spent fourteen years at GE Aircraft Engines (in a non union shop) during the Jack Welch years. That's 5,110 days of wondering if today was going to be your last day of employment even though profits were going through the roof and the stock had split three or four times.

To their credit, their 401k stuff made a lot of hourly workers millionaires before Immelt ran it into the ground.

Impeach the kenyan or secession.


20 posted on 11/19/2012 5:41:49 PM PST by ex91B10 (We've tried the Soap Box,the Ballot Box and the Jury Box; ONE BOX LEFT!)
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