Nov 28, 2023 By Karen Mansfield 3 min read

Concerned about the impacts of a proposed merger between Washington Health System and UPMC, Washington Hospital union workers hosted a town hall on Thursday.

About 50 people turned out for the “Protect Patient Care Town Hall” meeting at Washington County Fairgrounds, sponsored by SEIU Healthcare PA, where employees and community members raised concerns about issues ranging from potential employee salary cuts and staff reduction, increased costs for services, reduced quality of patient care, and increased wait times.

“My biggest concern is the patients, for sure. I want them to be able to get affordable health care and have enough people to take care of them properly,” said Marissa Petro, a certified central service technician at the hospital.

The union was joined by representatives from Pennsylvania Health Access Network, Allegheny County Schools Health Insurance Consortium, and Washington County Labor Council.

WHS announced the merger in June, after signing a non-binding letter of intent to integrate WHS into UPMC.

Erin Gabriel, government affairs representative for PHAN, presented data suggesting corporate hospital mergers across Pennsylvania have resulted in hospital closures, higher costs for patients and reductions to the services offered in local communities.

“A merger, acquisition or change in ownership is one of the best predictors that a community will experience a full or partial (hospital) closure,” said Gabriel. “To be clear, we don’t know that UPMC is planning to close our hospitals, we’re just presenting the research that we have, based on how things have been unfolding across the state with multiple different hospital (mergers).”

According to PHAN’s data, out of the hospitals involved in a merger, acquisition or change of ownership, 1 in 3 close.

More than 90% of hospital or health system closures are preceded by a merger, Gabriel said.

She also expressed concern about rising health care costs after mergers, and higher costs for procedures at dominant health care systems.

In Delaware County, where Springfield and Delaware County Memorial hospitals closed, the remaining hospitals in the area often charge more than three times what those hospitals had been charging for services, Gabriel said.

Regionally, patients who require a CT scan would pay approximately $362 at Washington Hospital, but would pay $2,732 at UPMC Mercy and $3,432 at UPMC Shadyside, she said.

“So good data suggests this price variation and the ability to command higher and higher prices by acquiring local hospitals is one of the key drivers of consolidation,” said Gabriel.

But Gabriel also noted that not all mergers, acquisitions, or changes in ownership result in negative outcomes.

Employees voiced concern over statistics showing UPMC pays its employees about $3 less per hour than WHS.

“I’m not making less than what people make to flip burgers for me to flip their grandma; it’s not happening,” said employee Jessica Reed.

Event coordinators said the merger “is not a done deal yet” and are encouraging the community to contact the Pennsylvania State Attorney General to sign a petition requesting a stop to the merger at ProtectPatientCare.org.

WHS did not respond to a request for comment by press time Friday.