Is the recession responsible for the flat job growth in the hospital sector? Or, is something larger at play? Are we seeing a fundamental shift in the way healthcare is being delivered in this country? Is the idea of the single, monolithic brick-and-mortar hospital giving way to a more fluid contract where hospitals play a less-centralized role?

Reporter, John Commins, attempted to answer these questions and more in his recent HealthLeaders Media article: What’s Behind Slow Hospital Job Growth?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics preliminary August 2009 data, the overall health sector reported 27,900 payroll additions in August, while hospitals lost 700 jobs.

One explanation for the trend is that the recessions has accelerated a long-term trend away from hospitals and toward the outpatient setting, senior healthcare analyst, David Bachman, said.

Still, Kurt Mosley (VP of business development for Merritt Hawkins & Associates) blames hospitals’ slow job growth on the economy. However, he thinks the Obama administration and health care reform will really benefit hospitals. He said that  most of the $20 billion that will be set aside for electronic medical records will be funneled through hospitals.