Expense reduction may be important to the future of Winneshiek Medical Center

The first nine months of the 2013-2014 fiscal year for Winneshiek Medical Center have been fairly strong financially.  But the person who supervises the hospital, Mayo Clinic Health System La Crosse Chief Administrative Officer  Joe Kruse, says Western Wisconsin hospitals run by MCHS have set a goal of reducing costs by 10 to 20 percent by the 2017 fiscal year.

That's because the Affordable Care Act and private insurance companies are stressing the same theme--controlling costs.  Kruse told Winneshiek Medical Center Board members Wednesday night that increasing scrutiny may be needed of expenses and that "expense reduction targets" may lie in the future for the hospital