Marietta, Ga.-based Wellstar Health System is making changes to its leadership structure amid 761 job cuts.
“We are recalibrating our leadership structure to reduce administrative layers and better align with industry best practices, which means that some Wellstar leaders’ roles are changing,” a health system spokesperson said in a July 30 statement shared with Becker’s.
The cuts affect about 2% of its more than 35,000-employee workforce, including corporate and shared services functions, as well as certain administrative roles within Wellstar Medical Group, a health system spokesperson said in a July 28 statement shared with Becker’s.
The layoffs do not affect front-line care team roles.
“These changes will help us simplify our structure, clarify roles, strengthen accountability and move decision-making closer to the people who care for patients, while positioning Wellstar for continued long-term sustainable growth,” the spokesperson said. “Our mission has not changed, and our patients will continue to receive the same compassionate, high-quality care they expect from Wellstar.”
The reductions come as Wellstar finalized an agreement in June to acquire Mountain Lakes Medical Center, a 25-bed critical access hospital in Clayton, Ga. The deal is expected to close Aug. 1.
Wellstar’s credit rating was upgraded in April to “A1” from “A2” by Moody’s, which cited the system’s strong operating performance. It had operating cash flow margins of 9% to 11%, fueled by volume growth.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 12:01 p.m. Central time on July 31 to include information about the leadership structure changes.
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