MARSHFIELD, Wis. (WSAW) – Recovery has been swift for the legacy medical provider, Marshfield Clinic. Its choice in a merger with Sanford Health System has revived the system to the point where it has been able to share its renewed health with the community. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe new brand campaign is here for all, here for good. And it\u2019s not just a tagline, but it really resonates nicely with not only where we\u2019ve been as an organization, but where we\u2019re headed,\u201d smiled Dr. Brian Hoerneman, President & CEO of the Marshfield Clinic Region of Sanford Health.<\/p>\n
A health system on life support<\/p>\n
For several years following the COVID-19 pandemic, Marshfield Clinic faced severe financial challenges. It caused programs and whole departments to close<\/a>, dissolve, <\/a>or be reorganized. Benefits and pay cuts<\/a> alongside numerous <\/a>rounds <\/a>of layoffs <\/a>caused uncertainty for staff and patients<\/a>. Its leader announced her exit<\/a> soon after.<\/p>\n The health system put an emergency medicine doctor in charge, Dr. Hoerneman, as it continued to navigate that crisis. The Marshfield native has been with the more-than-a-century-old health system for the last 22 years. To this day, he continues to get some rounds in emergency medicine and has previously held a variety of leadership roles.<\/p>\n The revival<\/p>\n Hoerneman told 7 Investigates that Marshfield Clinic\u2019s revival has come from examining its operations.<\/p>\n \u201cOver the last two plus years, we\u2019ve basically looked at every facet in the organization you could think of to make sure we\u2019re being as effective and as efficient as we can be.\u201d<\/p>\n That includes fixing issues with properly billing patients so they get paid for their services, something that was previously a problem<\/a>.<\/p>\n They also continued searching for a partner after their previous merger plans with Essentia ultimately ended<\/a> at the beginning of 2024. Internal communication noted the partnership would not have added to Marshfield Clinic\u2019s resources or financial strategy.<\/p>\n Later that year, Marshfield Clinic and Sanford Health jointly announced plans to merge<\/a>. Sanford Health promised to invest $500 million in capital improvements over the first five years of the merger, along with converting Marshfield Clinic\u2019s electronic medical record and billing system to Epic. That conversion is expected to be complete by the end of 2027.<\/p>\n By the beginning of 2026, the formal merger was completed<\/a>, turning Marshfield Clinic into a region of Sanford Health<\/a>. In a matter of a year under the new combined system, it improved its financials by about $166 million from 2024 to 2025. Ratings agencies, Fitch <\/a>and S&P<\/a> improved Marshfield Clinic\u2019s borrowing grades back into the As. <\/p>\n \u201cThe financial turnaround over the last two years has been nothing short of remarkable,\u201d Hoerneman said.<\/p>\n Road to recovery<\/p>\n Since the merger, Hoerneman said there have been about 1,500 positions added to the Marshfield Clinic region; about 20% of those filled are previous Marshfield Clinic employees.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s been terrific, not only to see them come back, but then also that kind of jump-starts them because they\u2019ve got that familiarity with the organization.\u201d<\/p>\n He said they are working hard to keep them. As the integration of the health systems continues, leadership is working to keep employees informed. That includes an open forum town hall for employees on a quarterly basis at the system level that allows employees to ask any questions they have. As well as an internal communications page that keeps staff and providers informed of the direction the system is heading.<\/p>\n \u201cThen at the departmental level, holding those department meetings, being able to cascade that information down. \u2018OK, this is what\u2019s going on in the system. Here\u2019s what it means for our practice. Here\u2019s the steps we\u2019re going to be able to take,\u2019\u201d Hoerneman explained. \u201cSo, I\u2019ve been very intentional about that and making sure that those changes are understood and that if there\u2019s (sic) concerns, that those departments get to work through that and understand, \u2018OK, this is changing. How does this impact what we\u2019re doing on a day-to-day basis? What can we do to make sure this works well for our practices and our patients?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n In addition, they are working harder to recognize employees for their hard work. <\/p>\n \u201cOne of the partnerships that we have with Sanford Health \u2014 they have a long track record of great recognition programs for providers and employees to recognize the great work that they do every day.\u201d<\/p>\n They are ensuring they keep up with the market pay ranges and provide regular raises.<\/p>\n They are also working to promote from within through training their own people. Its nurse residency program is one example. Newly graduated nurses spend a year in the residency program, which includes a mix of bookwork, real-world experiences, and networking with fellow nurses.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can be a hard transition coming right out of school to taking care of patients and being more independent. So, that\u2019s been a terrific program; we\u2019re just rolling that out here now.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoerneman explained that the program already existed in other Sanford Health regions. In those programs, he said the nurse retention rate in the first year has been more than 90%.<\/p>\n For their graduate medical programs, he said about 30-40% of the residents who train with Marshfield Clinic stay with the system. Another 70%, he continued, stay within the region even if they do not remain with Marshfield Clinic.<\/p>\n Adding services<\/p>\n As part of the 1,500 new positions, at least 32 are primary care providers. They come at a time when the NewsChannel 7 viewing area is rated <\/a>as needing at least 19. It is a problem nationwide, with Wisconsin expected to be short about 1,000 providers by 2030.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of the communities before \u2014 not only us, but other health systems in the area \u2014 were really having a hard time getting patients in to see a primary care provider. So, that\u2019s been great to reduce that amount of time.”<\/p>\n Hoerneman added that the wait times for patients to get an appointment with a primary care provider have been reduced by half, which has set new highs for the patient experience. Not only that, it helps ensure financial sustainability for the health system.<\/p>\n \u201cPart of that is being able to get in to see the provider and do that in a timely fashion,\u201d he explained. \u201cAnd then all the communication that we do up front, all the communication with our care teams. And then all the way through to making sure when a patient leaves the visit that they understand if they\u2019ve got any obligation from a financial standpoint. So, being able to have all that tied together, we\u2019ve made great progress on that, all those in the last couple of years.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition, while Marshfield Clinic previously dissolved the telehealth department as it was previously structured, it is now expanding. Hoerneman described that they are looking to create access points for patients in their rural geography. The Marshfield Clinic region is participating in Sanford Health\u2019s $350 million virtual care initiative.<\/p>\n For example, a patient near Park Falls who does not have a reliable or strong internet connection at their own home can conduct telehealth appointments with a specialist in Marshfield from the Marshfield Medical Center – Park Falls. <\/p>\n \u201cThey can get things jump-started. And if that leads to a procedure later, we can address that in person, but be able to do a lot of that work, a lot of those visits remotely,\u201d Hoerneman explained.<\/p>\n He said specialties that this has worked well in include behavioral health, as well as some inpatient areas inside critical access hospitals and emergency departments. For example, those needing to see an infectious disease consultant while an inpatient at a facility that does not have one on site could see one remotely without having to be transferred out of their home community.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been part of nonprofit health care is making sure that we\u2019re being as creative as possible to meet that need of the community.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition, within the last six months, Marshfield Clinic opened a new hospital in Wisconsin Rapids<\/a> and Park Falls<\/a>, reopened its Cattails Cottage<\/a> and expanded eligibility for those who can stay, created a new partnership with Veteran Affairs to improve access for veterans<\/a>, and now offers enhanced mammography screening<\/a>. Marshfield Clinic has also updated its equipment, like new CT scanners, MRI scanners, and other infrastructure.<\/p>\n \u201cThings like new chillers on the building, not very glamorous, but very necessary for patient care,\u201d Hoerneman added. <\/p>\n They have also upgraded their cybersecurity system following a data breach last year<\/a> and as new cyber threats continue to emerge.<\/p>\n Program changes that remain<\/p>\n There were cuts and reorganization efforts over the past few years that 7 Investigates reported, which remain today.<\/p>\n SANE<\/p>\n One of the first big changes in 2022 was consolidating the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program<\/a> from both the Marshfield and Weston hospitals, to solely operating out of Marshfield Medical Center – Weston. That remains in 2026. Hoerneman explained through follow-up questions via email that all programs are continuously evaluated, which includes SANE. He noted it is a centralized location for patients, meaning less travel, particularly for those coming from the north.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing centralized, that team of highly specialized nurses has been able to develop and then maintain their expertise, being there for patients after a traumatic event. It\u2019s a great model of providing expert care in a sustainable manner in our rural geography.\u201d<\/p>\n After 7 Investigates broke the news of that change in 2022, HealthFirst Network<\/a> announced it would bring those services back to the Marshfield area.<\/p>\n BBS<\/p>\n Marshfield Clinic has long been the lone resource in the U.S. for families and patients with a rare medical condition, Bardet-Biedl Syndrome<\/a>. When the program\u2019s coordinator was laid off, families made their concerns known. <\/p>\n At the time, Marshfield Clinic moved the coordination of the BBS program under the direction of a nurse who was coordinating the special needs clinic for the past several years and provides support at the child development center. Today, Hoerneman said the support, treatment, and research continue, leading to new discoveries.<\/p>\n \u201cIn 2026 we have 4, four-day clinics where BBS patients from across the country come to Marshfield to meet with providers and staff, and BBS families gather for social activities and interaction. These clinics are a critical to their ongoing care,\u201d Hoerneman answered in a follow-up email. \u201cOur BBS researchers have multiple papers published annually about their work as we try to learn more about the causes and treatments for this rare disease.\u201d<\/p>\n Rural health challenges<\/p>\n While Marshfield Clinic\u2019s financial future is increasingly stable, providing care in a rural geography remains challenging. Vast distances, smaller populations, older demographics with higher care needs, and difficulties recruiting and retaining medical staff in smaller communities are among the difficulties. In addition, medical systems everywhere operate in complex financial structures that often include a mix of governmental, private, and independent payers.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there are a few things as certain as knowing that next year things are going to cost more,\u201d Hoerneman stated. \u201cSupplies are going to be costing more. Medications are going to be costing more. Cost of our workforce will cost more. And at the same time, we\u2019re also confident that there\u2019ll be more challenges on the reimbursement end. And so this is not something that\u2019s new in health care; it\u2019s something over the years we\u2019ve gotten pretty familiar with, and we\u2019ll have to continue to be creative on how we address that and serve communities the best we can.\u201d<\/p>\n Asking about the dynamic between both providing care to patients while also often insuring the same patients through its insurance arm, Security Health Plan, Hoerneman said he believes it is the right model for health care.<\/p>\n \u201cThat continuity of coverage is critical for the continuity of care,\u201d he explained. \u201cAs long as patients continue to have that ability to afford their health insurance, be able to have access, be able to see their doctor, and not have financial barriers, then they are more consistent in keeping up with their health care maintenance. It leads to better outcomes for their patients, less chronic illness.\u201d<\/p>\n He said it leads to an incentive to keep patients as healthy as possible and prevent chronic illness where possible.<\/p>\n Maternal care continues to be a challenge facing rural health care systems, too. It is one Hoerneman said their team is meeting about constantly. <\/p>\n The challenge lies in the costs to provide care for expectant mothers, both in terms of resources and financials. It is a service that is required 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In order to provide that care, there needs to be shifts of nurses staffed, at least three providers who can deliver a baby to ensure that 24\/7 coverage, as well as anesthesiologists and pediatricians available when they are needed. Those providers can be available and have no birthing mothers come for days or weeks, depending on the area.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not an easy issue. And it\u2019s one that, unfortunately, we\u2019re seeing struggles across the country right now,\u201d Hoerneman said. \u201cIt\u2019s one that we\u2019re working\u2013 our teams are working on, on a nearly daily basis.”<\/p>\n He said investing back into communities and providing necessary care is what they are working to do despite the challenges facing health care, particularly rural health care. <\/p>\n \u201cI think that\u2019s the message that we\u2019d like to make sure is out there, is (for) people (to) understand that we are here for all, here for good,\u201d Hoerneman concluded. \u201cNow that we\u2019ve worked over the last couple (of) years, that partnership with Sanford Health has really provided fantastic sustainability for us to be able to provide these services for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n Click here<\/a> to download the WSAW news app or WSAW First Alert weather app.<\/p>\n