Small number of job cuts at Jefferson amid consolidation

Thomas Jefferson University, which has expanded rapidly by acquiring three health systems and a university, is cutting a small number of jobs, "less than 1 percent" of a workforce that has ballooned to 30,000, the nonprofit Philadelphia health system said Wednesday.

That works out to fewer than 300 positions. A Jefferson spokeswoman declined to provide any details on the timing or the types of jobs that are being eliminated.

"In the past three years, Jefferson has grown from a three hospital system with 13,000 employees to a 13 hospital system with 30,000 employees, and combined Thomas Jefferson University with Philadelphia University to create a bold new vision for 21st-century professional education," Stephen K. Klasko, Jefferson's president and chief executive said in a statement.

"Our growth, along with the changes in technology, health care, and education, present Jefferson with the opportunity and the responsibility to effectively manage limited resources. This ongoing process has identified staffing reductions, representing less than 1 percent of our workforce," Klasko said.

In the year ended June 30, Jefferson had income from operations of $48.8 million on total revenue of $3.95 billion, compared to $94 million in operating income on $3.14 billion of total revenue the year before.

Since the end of the fiscal year, Jefferson has completed its acquisitions of Philadelphia University in the East Falls section of Philadelphia and Kennedy Health System in South Jersey.