MILWAUKEE - Ministry Health Care, which owns several hospitals and clinics in Northeast Wisconsin, plans to cut jobs.

A company spokesman says Ministry expects to cut between 225 and 250 full-time equivalent positions across its Wisconsin and Minnesota facilities through a combination of attrition and job elimination. Ministry owns 15 hospitals and 47 clinics, including St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton, Mercy Medical Center in Oshkosh, Ministry Door County Medical Center in Sturgeon Bay and Calumet Medical Center in Chilton.

Company leaders say two main factors are leading to the job cuts. High-deductible health insurance plans have led to decreased demand for doctor and outpatient services. Also, the company says the automatic federal budget cuts known as sequestration have resulted in Ministry losing $10 million in payments for Medicare services annually.

Coming to this conclusion has not been easy, Nick Desien, President and CEO of Ministry Health Care, said in a news release. We recognize that a decision to reduce the size of our workforce will impact the lives of many of our friends and colleagues. However, it is necessary to continue our mission of providing the highest quality of care to our patients, especially the poor and vulnerable, without a disruption in services.

Ministry did not say when the cuts would begin or if any facilities would be closed.

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Ministry Health Care cutting 200+ jobs