Gundersen Clinic will make a proposal to have Winneshiek Medical Center accept Gundersen Lutheran Health Plan

Top-level Mayo and Gundersen officials in La Crosse have begun talking about having Gundersen's health insurance plan accepted by the Winneshiek Medical Center.

The Chief Administrative Officer of Franciscan Healthcare in La Crosse, Ron Paczkowski, told Winneshiek Medical Center trustees Wednesday that he expects Gundersen Clinic in La Crosse to make a proposal to the hospital in the near future.  Paczkowski and Franciscan Healthcare CEO Dr. Tim Johnson have met with Gundersen CEO Jeff Thompson and Gundersen Chief Administrative Officer Jerry Arendt to discuss the issues involved.

And there are many significant issues.

Paczkowski says it would be important to "create a level playing field" between Gundersen and Mayo in Winneshiek County, while also protecting the financial stability of the hospital.  Paczkowski told hospital board members Gundersen must demonstrate it is willing to use services such as CT scans, MRIs, surgery and rehab at the hospital.  An agreement on service usage should be part of an overall agreement, said Paczkowski.

Hospital trustee Dr. David Gehling said the board faces a difficult task: "We don't want to make a decision that will be detrimental to the hospital and we don't want to make a decision that will be detrimental to the community," he said.