Want to save millions? Innovative teams go out on a limb to shape new cost structures

Forget the fiddling and tinkering that accompany budget reductions of 2 and 3 percent; in fact, forget the entire status quo of cost containment. Even in markets where managed care is not yet a major force, proactive CEOs in places like Middletown, CT, and Johnson City, TN, are challenging their staffs to undergo the most strenuous fitness tests of their professional lives, as they bring cost-cutting to new levels.