Move is Latest Step in Affiliation Process Started Last Summer
The employees of Community Health Network (CHN) and Wild Rose Community Memorial Hospital have officially joined ThedaCare. This is the latest step in the affiliation between the Appleton-based healthcare system and CHN and Wild Rose, which began in June.
With the addition of the Wild Rose and CHN employees, ThedaCare now has more than 6,800 workers in northeast and central Wisconsin at its seven hospitals, 36 clinics, and various support services.
ThedaCare CEO Dean Gruner, MD, credited the employees who labored behind the scenes to complete the necessary work to integrate CHN and Wild Rose into the health system. “We are excited to have Wild Rose and CHN employees officially with us,” Dr. Gruner said. “There has been a lot of hard work as we implemented the Epic medical record system, integrated our financial processes, and helped employees become part of ThedaCare.”
There is still work to be completed in the months ahead, Dr. Gruner said as additional technology and process transitions take place. CHN and Wild Rose physicians will become ThedaCare employees in early 2016.
CHN CEO John Feeney appreciates ThedaCare’s commitment to employees, along with their commitment to the communities where we provide services. “Our employees are very involved in the communities we both work and live in, and that outreach remains vital to maintaining the strong relationships that have been established through the years,” he said.
The local healthcare systems are already seeing the benefits of its affiliation with ThedaCare – even after just a few months, said Wild Rose CEO Dawn Shuman. Over the summer, ThedaCare installed its electronic medical record (EMR) system in all CHN and Wild Rose facilities, which improves patient safety and communication among physicians, she said.
“Beyond providing technology expertise and increased access to medical experts in the Fox Cities, the affiliation allows us to take advantage of ThedaCare’s expertise in different areas from marketing to business services,” Shuman said. “We’ve been able to work with the ThedaCare Improvement System and use those tools to help us become more efficient in our own processes and improve customer service.”
Community Health Network includes the CHN Medical Group, Berlin Memorial Hospital and 10 CHN Medical Centers, which are community-based primary care facilities in Green Lake, Waushara, Fond du Lac and Marquette counties.
In addition to Wild Rose Community Memorial Health, the system includes four Waushara Family Physician clinics in Wild Rose, Plainfield, Wautoma and Coloma.
ThedaCare™ is a community health system consisting of seven hospitals: Appleton Medical Center, Theda Clark Medical Center, ThedaCare Medical Center-New London, Shawano Medical Center, Riverside Medical Center in Waupaca, Berlin Memorial Hospital, and Wild Rose Community Memorial Hospital. ThedaCare also includes ThedaCare Physicians, ThedaCare Behavioral Health, and ThedaCare At Home. ThedaCare is one of the largest employers in Northeast Wisconsin with more than 6,800 employees. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
