Patients Still #1 in Memorial Medical Center/Marshfield Clinic Health System Deal
Friday, March 9th, 2018 -- 11:13 AM
-Patients will still be the focus. That was the main theme that officials with Memorial Medical Center wanted people to know after a meeting with some county and community leaders Thursday morning.Memorial Medical Center and Marshfield Clinic Health System dropped a surprise announcement on the community when they revealed earlier this week that the two facilities have signed a letter of intent for MCHS to acquire MMC. They hope to have the agreement signed by the end of June with MMC employees becoming Marshfield Clinic employees soon after. Ryan Neville, CEO and President of Memorial Medical Center, wanted the community to know that this merger was not in the long term plans when MMC applied for the loan from the USDA to build a new facility. He stated that as early as January, this merger wasn’t even in the cards. However, he stated the time to do this is better than ever. With their new building on the table, MCHS is very excited to bring their services to rural Clark County.
They stressed how this merger will allow both entities to offer more services right here in Neillsville. Mr. Neville stated that they, and MCHS, see this as a growth opportunity. Patients that would normally go to MCHS to have certain procedures or exams done, such as chemo, can now have them completed right here in Neillsville. All the resources of MMC and MCHS will be under one roof. As for MMC’s clinic in Greenwood and Loyal, the MMC Greenwood Clinic and Marshfield Clinic would merge under one roof. The Loyal Clinic would remain as it’s grandfathered in as a satellite of a critical access hospital. This merger will also bring in more federal dollars that MMC currently doesn’t have access to and it will make insurance far simpler being under the umbrella of Security Health Plan.
Mr. Neville, board members and others also stressed that patients will still be treated as patients. They will not be treated as a number. MMC, under MCHS, will still offer the same touches and services they do now. They will also keep their providers, nurses and staff, so patients will still be treated by the people they know and trust. Finally, it was stated that MMC could have chosen to remain independent, but their ability to continue to provide the level of service and care would have been stretched very thin and the facility would have been in for a rough road. This merger allows them to have the longevity and stability they’ve strived for and still follow through on their mission statement of providing the best care possible.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.