SynergyHealth made its decision to go with the proposal from Progressive Health (Froedtert & Community Health and Columbia St. Mary's) as I had predicted a couple of months earlier. It isn't that I'm such a great predictor. This was the most logical decision that could've been taken given the circumstances that existed.
This means that there is a new alliance that will encompass much of the northern two-thirds of the greater Milwaukee market including portions of Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington and Ozaukee counties. Doctors in the West Bend Clinic were firmly opposed to becoming a part of the Aurora system. Aurora worked for the better part of a year to try to convince the SynergyHealth group that it was their best choice.
In the end, Aurora pulled its proposals from the table when it became obvious they were not going to prevail (better to pull out than be beaten).
So, what does this mean for those of us in the West Bend/Jackson/Hartford/Germantown/Menomonee Falls area? It means that we continue to have a choice in our healthcare system. It means there are now essentially three systems serving our marketplace: ProHealth based in Waukesha (Medical Associates), Aurora (Advanced Healthcare) and Froedtert & Community. Our community-based hospitals are given a new opportunity to maintain and grow their service offerings. We will be able to take advantage of some of the best healthcare in the United States.
What will it cost us? That remains to be seen. Aurora is rapidly increasing its presence with new buildings and new hospitals. Many of those are, in my opinion, unnecessary duplications that mean we're being 'over built'. Decades ago, a Certificate of Need had to be completed and approved by state officials before a new healthcare facility could be built. That was known as CON in 'governmentese'. Since that law was repealed, the only things really necessary are local approvals and the ability to finance the project.
Examples would be the new Aurora complex being built in the Town of Summit between ProHealth's hospitals in Waukesha and Oconomowoc, and the new Grafton location being built less than ten miles away from a new Columbia St. Mary's facility. The debt service is large and that means that rates may have to be increased to support the needs that were created by building.
Obviously, the remaining healthcare players are fighting for their continued existence. But we healthcare consumers pay the price for those battles, so we have to remain aware and we need to become much better buyers of healthcare. Too many people are blaming insurance companies for high health insurance costs when the real problem is the high cost of health care. These kinds of building campaigns do nothing but hurt us more in my opinion.
