Mass General Brigham Layoffs: CEO Tells 85,000 Workers Some Changes ‘Will Be Difficult’

Mass General Brigham chief executive Dr. Anne Klibanski told roughly 85,000 employees in a letter emailed late Monday, Nov. 2, that “some decisions and changes will be difficult,” as the Boston-based health system continues layoffs it began in October, the Boston Globe reported on Tuesday. The letter did not say how many jobs or which programs would be affected.

“We must improve our performance and make thoughtful decisions about how we use our resources,” Klibanski wrote, according to the Globe. “As all healthcare systems are changing, so must we.” She added that decisions would be difficult “particularly when they affect colleagues, teams, long-standing roles and programs that have been important parts of our organizations.”

Mass General Brigham layoffs: what is known

Layoffs began Oct. 13, spokesperson Jessica Pastore told the Globe, the system’s second round of job cuts in less than two years. Pastore said she could not say whether the cuts would total hundreds or thousands of positions “because many decisions have not yet been made.” She said: “Our preference is to save through non-labor means wherever possible,” adding that “closing the gap will still take a multi-year effort.”

Specific changes reported so far include a sharp reduction of the Home Hospital program, which treats patients at home. The Globe reported that the program has lost about $30 million a year on average over three years and will be capped at no more than 30 patients, down from a capacity of 70 in August 2024, with service paused at Salem Hospital, Newton-Wellesley Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital. Mass Eye and Ear will stop general pediatric inpatient admissions on its 10th floor by Jan. 1, and Home Base, a veterans’ mental health program run with the Red Sox Foundation, laid off several of its roughly 150 staff, according to the Globe. The paper’s Oct. 23 explainer details the earlier cuts.

In a statement to CBS News Boston in October, the system said: “To strengthen our long-term financial sustainability, Mass General Brigham is continuing to make changes in how we operate.” CBS reported that MGB, which it said has more than 82,000 employees, cited costs rising faster than Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurance payments.

By the numbers: the margin MGB is chasing

Mass General Brigham’s executives have set a goal of an operating margin of about 1.5%, roughly $300 million, by Sept. 30, 2028, the Globe reported, compared with operating income of $59 million, a 0.3% margin, in fiscal 2025. By a Boston Report calculation, that target is about five times the fiscal 2025 result, a gap of roughly $241 million a year. The Globe reported that cost-cutting is likely to last about two years.

The Home Hospital cap is a 57% cut in patient capacity, by a Boston Report calculation from the Globe’s figures. Becker’s Hospital Review also reported on the new round of cuts.

Employees and unions respond

Dr. Michael Barnett, a primary care physician involved in union organizing, told the Globe: “We need transparency. MGB vaguely suggesting change must occur serves to only create fear and distrust.” The letter arrives as about 4,000 nurses at Brigham and Women’s Hospital prepare for an open-ended strike set to begin Nov. 12, with talks scheduled to resume Nov. 9, as detailed in our report on the Brigham nurses’ strike date. MGH and the Brigham are also in a separate legal fight with drugmaker Eli Lilly over 340B drug discount data.

Our Take (analysis)

This section is The Boston Report’s analysis. With roughly 85,000 employees, according to the Globe, Mass General Brigham’s staffing decisions reach well beyond its hospitals. The letter’s language signals change without numbers, and the company itself says many decisions are unmade. Three markers will show the direction: whether more programs follow Home Hospital in being scaled back, how the Brigham nurses’ contract is resolved, and whether the system reports progress toward its margin goal in its next financial results. Insurance pressures elsewhere in the market, such as Blue Cross’s exit from Medicare Advantage plans, show payers and providers alike are resetting costs. For more Boston business news, follow our business section.

Sources

• Boston Globe: Amid Mass General Brigham layoffs, CEO’s letter stirs anxiety (Nov. 3, 2026)
• Boston Globe: Mass General Brigham layoffs: What to know (Oct. 23, 2026)
• CBS News Boston: Mass General Brigham layoffs reportedly underway, along with Home Hospital program cuts
• Becker’s Hospital Review: Mass General Brigham cuts more jobs