Empathy Amplifies: Wisconsin Health Systems Announce Merger and New Name

In 2022, two Wisconsin health systems, Bellin Health and Gundersen Health System, announced that they would be merging. While initially maintaining their respective names, the two organizations have now announced a new name for their organization: Emplify Health. Dr. Scott Rathgaber, chief executive officer of the merged health system, stated that the new name reflects their commitment to amplifying empathy, which has been a core value of Bellin and Gundersen for well over a century.

Bellin, located in Green Bay, and Gundersen, based in La Crosse, collectively operate 11 hospitals across Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and Michigan, employing around 15,000 people. Rathgaber mentioned that the name change process will not happen overnight and could take several years to complete. They plan to announce a detailed timeline in the following months on when the new name will officially be implemented. However, he stressed that it is not an urgent or immediate change.

While the transition to the new name will impact many aspects of their operations at Emplify Health, patients will still be able to see their regular providers at the same locations as before. The Bellin Health Foundation and Gundersen Medical Foundation will retain their current names and function separately from Emplify Health. According to Rathgaber