"Divorce Court"--Winneshiek Medical Center and Gundersen Clinic

The most common question we've gotten from our readers about local health care is, "Why can't the hospital and Gundersen Clinic get along?"

As I talked with a number of people familiar with the health care situation in Winneshiek County, it suddenly dawned on me how to describe what is happening.  I'm serious about this—relations between the hospital and Gundersen Clinic remind me of two people who have gone through a bitter divorce.

At one time—in 2004, to be exact—the two sides appeared headed toward a wedding.  Winneshiek Medical Center had drawn up plans to build an addition to the hospital building, one that would house offices for Gundersen Clinic.  Then the discussions broke down and the hospital got left at the altar, so to speak.

Just like in a bitter divorce, the aftermath has been a lot of finger pointing.  For eight years hospital officials have complained about Gundersen Clinic, saying that the business that Gundersen used to refer to the hospital is now being handled at Gundersen Clinic—Decorah instead.  Hospital officials say it would be much better for the hospital if Gundersen supported it in the way it did in 2004.

Of course, to continue the divorce metaphor, the hospital has attracted a new suitor in the meantime—Mayo Health Systems.  And that "relationship" has gotten more and more serious as the hospital continues to point fingers at Gundersen.

So while it is true that getting more referrals from Gundersen Clinic would be good for Winneshiek Medical Center, what hospital officials have failed to provide is a reason that such an arrangement would be good for Gundersen Clinic.  Is the drop-off in Gundersen referrals the fault of Gundersen or the fault of the hospital?

More to the point, counselors say the way to recover from a bad divorce is to stop concentrating on the past.  Hospital officials should stop complaining about Gundersen Clinic and either decide to go their own way with their relationship with Mayo Health Systems or try to improve relations with Gundersen Clinic so they can have relationships with both health systems.  Whichever choice they make, they would benefit from putting 2004's ugly "divorce" behind them.