Preferred Health Systems Lay Off 16

Wichita-based Preferred Health Systems, which last month was purchased by Coventry Health Care Inc., axed 16 employees in a round of layoffs last week.

The Wichita Business Journal reported that it is not clear what departments were affected by the layoffs, but that it is the first notable change in the company since it became a subsidiary of Coventry Health. The chief operating officer of PHS, Brad Clothier, said the company does not expect any further layoffs in the foreseeable future.

PHS operates the largest HMO in Wichita with 62,928 enrollees in Sedgwick County, according to the Wichita Business Journal’s HMO and PPO list published last year.