Rhode Island's largest hospital operator is cutting jobs in the wake of mounting losses, the Associated Press reported.
According to the AP, Lifespan is cutting a total of 122 jobs, including some physician appointments. Those include about 15 jobs altogether, WPRI reported.
The health system, which operates four hospitals and has about 11,000 employees, is trying to trim expenses by $100 million to $150 million over the next two years, the Providence Journal reported.
In Waco, Texas, Providence Health System is planning to make reductions that will likely include job cuts, KWTX reported. Ditto for St. Vincent Hospitals in Indianapolis, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal.
Lifespan is facing a mounting budget deficit that officials blamed on cuts in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, according to the story. The sequestration-related Medicare cuts have already cost $40 million a year.
Providence is in a similar situation, but Texas is also opting out of Medicaid expansion. Providence called it "unprecedented changes and pressures in healthcare," according to KWTX. St. Vincent Hospitals reported similar pressures.
Of the positions cut at Lifespan, 69 were already vacant, the Journal reported. Many of those who lost their jobs were in management. Providence has yet to make a decision on where jobs will be eliminated.
In a letter to employees, Lifespan Chief Executive Officer Timothy J. Babineau said another 200 positions will likely be cut in the future, according to the Journal.
To learn more:
- read the Associated Press article
- here's the Providence Journal article
- read the WPRI article
- read the KWTX article
- check out the Indianapolis Business Journal article