On Wednesday, August 6, six of Wisconsin’s largest health care groups will unite to form a statewide network. The six– Aspirus (Wausau), Aurora Health Care (Milwaukee), Bellin Health Services (Green Bay), Gundersen Health System (LaC Crosse), ThedaCare Inc. (Appleton), and UW Health (Madison) are to now serve as a “new model for the nation.” As health care in the United States has been forever changed since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, the move comes as a change to better fit the new health care system.
The new network’s combined services provide health care for approximately 90% of Wisconsin. This does not include the neighboring states in which they also serve– Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota. Doctors and patients alike will easily be able to access their medical records with the integration of electronic medical records readily available to share across the network.
ThedaCare’s Greg Devine will serve as president and CEO of the partnership and said, ” Our vision is to use our collective resources wisely by being good stewards of the clinical, administrative, IT, research, patient experience, care management, and other shard expertise within our six systems.”
“Our aim is that the partnership will be featured in insurance plans that serve the needs of individual purchasers, as well as national employers that have a statewide presence or that are headquartered in areas we serve,” Devine said.
The network seeks to define themselves as a “true partnership” rather than a merger or consolidation says Jeff Thompson, CEO of Gundersen Health System– chair of the partnership’s board of directors. “It will allow us to more rapidly learn from each other, share best practices, and serve the needs of patients and families more effiently,” he said.
Source: Milwaukee Business Journal