Asheville hospital: We're cutting ... and growing

Asheville's Mission Health,  which runs six hospitals,  has joined Carolinas HealthCare System in announcing job cuts as part of the 2015 budget.

Michael Tarwater,  CEO of the Charlotte-based system,  announced earlier this month that CHS is cutting 100 management jobs as part of its quest to trim $110 million.

Paulus

On Monday Ronald Paulus, CEO of Mission, said his organization had to find ways to offset $52 million in federal and state reimbursement cuts.  That included eliminating 130 full- and part-time  "caregiver positions,"  he said.  Fifty-five of those employees are leaving the system,  15 have found new jobs with Mission and 60 hope to do so, he said.

But the overall workforce will grow by 147 people, he added.  For instance,  he cited a primary care network of 275 physicians that didn't exist a year ago,  focused on  "safety outcomes and cost efficiency."  For Paulus'  eight-minute video message to employees,  click here.

Hospitals and medical practices across North Carolina are grappling with cuts to Medicare and Medicaid,  coming partly from the Affordable Care Act and partly from state efforts to reel in spiraling costs.  The state's decision not to accept federal money to expand Medicaid means North Carolinians are paying the costs for other states' expansion without getting the benefit of increased coverage for low-income adults.  Medicaid will be high on the General Assembly's agenda in January,  and some are watching to see whether our state will follow the lead of other GOP-led states that have found ways to put the federal money to use.