ST. LOUIS COUNTY (KSDK) - More than 200 SSM Health Care positions will be eliminated, according to Steve Van Dinter, a spokesperson for SSM Health Care.

There are approximately 12,000 employees in the St. Louis area, and 206 positions will be eliminated.

Overall, SSM Health Care employs approximately 30,000 employees, and 586 of those positions will be eliminated. That is less than 2 percent of total positions.

Van Dinter says most of the positions are administrative, and not directly involved with patient care. Roughly 50 percent of the reductions will be through attrition.

These layoffs don't come as a surprise to health care experts.

Tim McBride a health care expert and professor at Washington University says he is not at all surprised by the job cuts.

He says this has been a growing trend for hospitals before health care reform came into the picture.

Just this year we've seen BJC lay off 160 workers, Liberty Hospital, a hospital in Kansas City, lay off 130 and the University of Missouri Health Care announce they will not fill 90 vacancies in the coming year.

Mcbride says while yes, there will be many more that have health insurance, they will be urged to go to primary care physicians not straight to the emergency rooms.

"That means that big systems like SSM and BJC need to restructure and take some of the dollars out their big health care systems and move them towards doctor's offices," said McBride.

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SSM Health Care eliminates 206 position in area