Becker’s has tracked 62 hospital and health system job cut announcements so far in 2026, as of Sept. 24. Many target nonclinical and administrative roles, with systems citing lower reimbursement, rising labor and supply costs and the need to realign operations.
The cuts come as healthcare hiring slows. Healthcare added an average of 34,000 jobs per month in 2025, down from 56,000 in 2024, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Here are five groups absorbing the most cuts:
1. IT workers. The two largest IT reductions stem from outsourcing. Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health is cutting 557 IT positions across 120 job titles as it moves work to an external vendor by the end of 2026. West Des Moines, Iowa-based UnityPoint Health cut 207 IT roles while shifting IT and revenue cycle functions to third parties. Portland-based MaineHealth eliminated 83 IT and analytics positions, and Palo Alto, Calif.-based Stanford Health Care cut 95 jobs, about 80 in technology and digital services.
2. Corporate and administrative staff. Marietta, Ga.-based Wellstar Health System made the year’s largest cut, eliminating 761 corporate, shared services and administrative positions, about 2% of its workforce. The system said front-line care roles were not affected. Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare cut an undisclosed number of corporate and support roles, citing policy shifts, an increase in uninsured patients and rising costs.
3. Leaders and managers. Leadership layers are being consolidated. Lebanon, N.H.-based Dartmouth Health laid off 124 employees, eliminated 303 open positions and restructured executive and administrative leadership roles. Providence, R.I.-based Care New England cut more than 30 leadership and nonclinical roles amid a $20 million budget shortfall. Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Health cut 93 roles, including leaders.
4. Behavioral health workers. Two of the year’s five largest layoffs came from behavioral health providers. San Antonio-based Laurel Ridge Treatment Center cut 648 jobs after CMS terminated its Medicare agreement, and UMass Memorial Health-Community Healthlink in Leominster, Mass., cut 231 as it ceased operations, citing inconsistent referrals, declining demand and workforce shortages.
5. Home-based care and health plan staff. Rockledge, Fla.-based Health First cut 214 positions, including through the closure of its hospital-at-home program, and Burlington, Vt.-based University of Vermont Health cut a net 144 roles, including in home health and hospice, as it works to close a projected financial gap of more than $300 million over three years.Dallas-based Baylor Scott & White Health Plan is cutting 321 jobs as it exits the Texas Medicaid market and individual marketplace plans.
At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.
