By Zach Jensen,
WinnMed, the county-owned hospital and clinic in Decorah, will no longer be affiliated with the Mayo Clinic Health System as of 2025.
The announcement was made June 27 during a special WinnMed Board of Trustees meeting, but Board Chair Clark Goltz said he doesn’t foresee many potential challenges in WinnMed’s future as a result of the separation.
“I don’t see that anything’s going to change, but there could be some benefits,” Goltz said. “For example, we could now partner with entities other than Mayo, and another advantage is more local control. Not that we weren’t happy with sharing with Mayo, but now we can make our own decisions.”
Goltz said he and other WinnMed officials were first made aware of the upcoming changes during a special meeting with Mayo officials June 20, at which time it was expected that WinnMed and Mayo would renew their Professional Services Agreements and Management Services Agreements, just as they have every 3-5 years since 2008. Officials instead informed WinnMed that Mayo wasn’t going to renew those agreements — bringing an end to the 17-year affiliation between the two healthcare entities. However, Goltz emphasized they do plan to negotiate a new long-term Professional Services Agreement- which allows WinnMed’s physicians to be considered employees of Mayo Clinic.
The MSA allows Mayo to employ WinnMed’s upper management professionals — positions such as the chief administrative officer, chief medical officer and others. Goltz said the board offered WinnMed’s Chief Administrative Officer position to Steve Slessor during the June 27 meeting.
“So now, he will be our employee and not Mayo’s employee,” Goltz said. “He’s an amazing man, he’s a great leader, and we don’t want to lose him. It’s amazing. We are so fortunate.”
Goltz said Slessor accepted WinnMed’s offer and turned in his resignation from Mayo Monday afternoon. Goltz went on to say many employees expressed support for Slessor upon learning of the upcoming changes.
“I got so many texts from employees and department heads that said ‘Please maintain the leadership structure that we have, with Steve Slessor as our lead administrator. I’ve never worked in a place more dedicated, more caring, more involved, more focused than WinnMed, and I don’t want that to change.’ My phone was blasting with positive comments, so I feel very good about this,” Goltz said.
Goltz added he expects Slessor and his current management team will stay on as WinnMed’s leadership team.
But also coming to an end is the PSA through which Mayo employs some of WinnMed’s physicians.
“These are Mayo physicians,” Goltz explained. “Over the next year, before July of 2025, those physicians will have to make some choices. Do they want to remain a Mayo-affiliated physician and still work in Decorah? Do they want to work as a Mayo physician and go someplace else in the Mayo system? Or, do they want to transfer over and be a WinnMed physician?”
Goltz said Mayo physicians currently employed at WinnMed may choose to become WinnMed physicians, adding he feels they like the company and the community, and they appreciate the Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System. Goltz also said Mayo is working with WinnMed to allow longtime Mayo physicians employed at WinnMed to continue as Mayo physicians at WinnMed until their retirement.
“WinnMed is in a strong position to employ the existing leaders and pursue its goals independently,” Mayo’s Regional Vice President Dr. Robert Albright Jr. said in a statement. “We appreciate and value the history of this partnership, and we look forward to collaborating to ensure patients in and around Decorah continue to receive high-quality care.”
Goltz emphasized that the end of the affiliation will have no effect on WinnMed’s current $10 million expansion project.
“The building project has nothing to do with financing from Mayo,” he said. “That is a WinnMed facility project.”
Goltz said the only foreseeable challenge that comes as a result of the separation is the loss of the Mayo brand. He said new physicians and employees may have been attracted to the Mayo name, and being affiliated with Mayo meant WinnMed had more purchasing power.
“There are lot of changes in healthcare,” Goltz said. “It’s all over the place. It is different. It’s a surprise that it happened now, but I don’t see anything changing on services and the quality of care we’re providing. There really is nothing to be concerned about, because the physicians and the level of care will remain the same.”
Submit A Comment
Fill out the form to submit a comment. All comments require approval by our staff before it is displayed on the website.