Four hospitals consolidate into Ascension Wisconsin
Affinity Health System, Columbia St. Mary's, Ministry Health Care and Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare revealed their intentions to combine into Ascension Wisconsin.
The new system will be part of parent company Ascension, the largest nonprofit health system in the United States and the world's largest Catholic health system.
Sweeping changes in structure and leadership will accompany the transition. In the next 90 to 120 days, the organization will adopt a new model that includes a Northern Region and a Southern Region, each led by a separate president. Recruitment efforts for both positions are underway, Ascension said in a statement.
With the integration, Ascension Wisconsin will include 27 hospitals and hundreds of sites of care, and employ more than 24,000 associates and nearly 1,000 medical group physicians. In fiscal year 2015, the health systems that now comprise Ascension Wisconsin provided $300 million in community benefit and care of persons living in poverty.
The company also said current Ministry Health Care President Daniel Neufelder has elected not to pursue the new position opening up of President of the Northern Region but, instead, will stay on in his current role until a new Northern Region president is hired and brought up to speed.
In fiscal year 2015, Ascension contributed almost $2 billion in care to people living in poverty as well as other community benefit programs. The organization is comprised of 160,000 associates and 36,000 aligned providers with 142 hospitals and other facilities in 24 states and the District of Columbia.
Twitter: @BethJSanborn
