Sanford Health: Fourth Merger Success After Previous Collapses

Sanford Health has successfully completed a merger with Marshfield Clinic Health System on January 1, creating an integrated healthcare network with 56 hospitals and over 270 clinics. This merger follows three failed attempts by Sanford to finalize mergers with other healthcare systems, underlining the strategic significance of this fourth successful union. CEO Bill Gassen discusses the importance of the merger in addressing healthcare access challenges in rural America, highlighting Sanford's passion for serving rural communities and the alignment of values with Marshfield. He argues that strategic growth in like-minded partnerships can lead to improved access and quality of care. Gassen also counters critics of health system mergers by explaining the necessity of resource pooling to provide care in underserved areas. The merger aims to leverage combined resources for better talent recruitment and deployment, including utilizing a recent $350 million investment in virtual care at Sanford. This aligns with Sanford’s long-term vision to tackle access issues and ensure financial sustainability while delivering world-class care in rural regions.