Jackson Free Press

MERIDIAN, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi hospital system is cutting more than 100 employees, saying it needs to reduce costs because of lower reimbursements from Medicare, Medicaid and other insurers.

Meridian-based Rush Health Systems has 2,800 employees across seven hospitals and multiple clinics. It announced the cuts Tuesday, saying it must "dramatically reduce" expenses.

The private, nonprofit system tells local media that it's trying to reduce employees by 4 percent through attrition and early retirement, but will resort to layoffs if necessary. Rush says it's trying to find jobs for laid-off employees internally or with other employers. The system says it's trying to avoid harming patient care.

Rush has its flagship hospital and a long-term care hospital in Meridian, plus smaller hospitals in DeKalb, Morton, Union and Quitman, and in Butler, Alabama.