Springfield, Ill.-based Hospital Sisters Health System has eliminated 85 jobs at four Wisconsin hospitals and for the time being will not add new positions at these locations, according to a Green Bay Press-Gazette report.
Here are five things to know.
1. The cuts represent approximately 2.3 percent of the organization's 3,500 employees in the region, according to the report.
2. Employees affected by the cuts are in the HSHS – Eastern Wisconsin Division — which includes St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay, St. Mary's Hospital Medical Center in Green Bay, St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan and St. Clare Memorial Hospital in Oconto Falls.
3. The cuts were mainly in nonclinical areas, Therese Pandl, HSHS – Eastern Wisconsin Division president and CEO, said in a statement. St. Vincent and St. Mary's COO Larry Connors' position was among the job cuts, hospital officials confirmed to the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
4. Ms. Pandl attributed the cuts to a shift in the way people utilize healthcare services.
"High-deductible health plans are causing many to postpone care, and improvements in technology are allowing many procedures to be in an outpatient, rather than an inpatient setting," she said.
5. Ms. Pandl said HSHS - Eastern Wisconsin Division also hopes to place as many affected colleagues as possible in open positions within the health system.
"This is never an easy decision, but we are committed to providing the highest quality of care to our patients. We have watched the industry change over the past few years and feel that a rebalancing of the workforce is necessary at this time so that we may provide the communities we serve with high-quality, Franciscan health care today and into the future," she said.