MetroHealth System shutting down 6 Cleveland-area medical offices

CLEVELAND, Ohio — As part of its ongoing effort to stabilize finances, MetroHealth will close six Cleveland-area outpatient centers, the system announced Monday.

Effective Friday, Oct. 3, MetroHealth System will close the following sites:

• Broadview Heights Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy
• The dental clinic at Old Brooklyn Medical Center
• Medina Health Center
• Rocky River Medical Offices
• State Road Family Practice in North Royalton
• Westlake Physical Therapy at the West Shore Family YMCA.

Over the last decade, MetroHealth expanded its services to provide care in more communities, but the additional offices resulted in duplication of services and operational inefficiencies, the health system said.

The planned closures will streamline operations and increase access to care by providing more services in a single location, MetroHealth said in a news release.

The closures are part of MetroHealth’s attempt to deal with what it called “an unprecedented and unexpected surge” in the cost of care it delivers to Northeast Ohio’s uninsured patients. Charity care costs have doubled since 2022 and now exceed $1 million a day, the organization said.

MetroHealth is attempting to cope with expected operating losses, increased costs and uncertainty about future funding due to changes in government policies.

Many of the services and employees at closed sites will move to larger locations within MetroHealth, and remaining facilities will expand their hours of operation, the medical system said.

“Any organization, especially one facing financial challenges, must constantly look at ways to operate more efficiently,” MetroHealth CEO Dr. Christine Alexander-Rager said in a statement. “This move is a continuation of our efforts to right-size our footprint by aligning our resources with our priorities.”

The office closures come just weeks after MetroHealth laid off about 125 employees. The cuts mainly affected administrative positions ranging from senior leaders to entry-level hires, the health system said.

Patients will be notified if caregivers or appointments at closed locations are moving to a different site. Call 216-MY-METRO (216-696-3876) with questions.

“Our patients and community are at the heart of every decision we make,” Alexander-Rager said. “While closing these locations is not easy, it’s a necessary step to ensure we can provide compassionate care in the most efficient way.”

Despite the closures, MetroHealth will still operate more than 20 outpatient care locations.

It also plans to open a new Outpatient Health Center next to the Glick Center on its main campus in Cleveland in 2026. A planned 24/7 drive-thru pharmacy is scheduled to open at the main campus in 2027.

Construction of the Outpatient Health Center, new parking garage and renovations to existing buildings on MetroHealth’s campus will cost $168.2 million, the health system said.

Medicaid cuts to increase strain on hospitals

MetroHealth, along with other U.S. hospitals, face uncertainty about future funding due to expected changes in government policy.

MetroHealth finished 2024 with $50 million in operating losses and is on pace for even larger losses in 2025.

In July, Congress passed the largest Medicaid cuts in the program’s 60-year history as part of President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” healthcare analysts said. The bill included cuts to Medicaid of almost $1 trillion over the next 10 years, according to health policy experts at UC Berkeley Public Health.

Proponents say the cuts will address waste and fraud in the program, and ensure that people who are able to work aren’t taking advantage of the system. But the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that about 11.8 million Americans may lose their health insurance, Berkeley policy experts said.

As a result, hospitals may be faced with increased financial pressure due to the need to care for more uninsured people, while absorbing more unpaid medical bills, price hikes and cuts in services, healthcare experts said.

Other local hospitals have also taken steps to cope with a bleak economic outlook and budget shortfalls.

At the start of this year, the Cleveland Clinic cut its administrative staff by 114 positions due to financial challenges. About a year ago, University Hospitals cut more than 300 leadership positions, after closing two hospitals in 2022.

While MetroHealth is considered to be Cuyahoga County’s safety net hospital, only a portion of its annual budget comes from the county.

In November 2024, MetroHealth trustees approved a proposed $2 billion 2025 operating budget, which also required approval from Cuyahoga County Council. That figure was an increase over 2024’s $1.9 billion operating budget.

At that time, the health system anticipated $2 billion in operating revenue and $1.9 billion in operating expenses, excluding interest and depreciation in 2025.