Health care costs continue to rise around the state and across the nation, but Southwest Health of Platteville is holding prices in check with zero increase for the third consecutive year.
While the local health system’s growth in services, employment, and community impact helps fuel the local economy, the not-for-profit’s volunteer Board of Directors has chosen to hold the line on prices to further benefit its patients and area communities.
Hospitals and health systems review prices annually, and they traditionally increase rates each year to cover rising costs. According to the Wisconsin Hospital Association, the average hospital price increases across the state for each of the last three years are 4.36, 4.64 and 4.85 percent.
Despite not increasing prices for three years straight, Southwest Health is performing stronger than ever financially due to a remarkable 69 percent growth in net revenue over the past three years, much of it through expansion and acquisition activity. As a result, the Southwest Health volunteer Board of Directors has chosen to reward its patients for their loyalty by keeping health care prices in check.
“Families in today’s economy are working harder than ever, and yet many still struggle with paying the bills,” said Chief Executive Officer Dan Rohrbach. “We’re working diligently on their behalf to keep costs down. We see our incredible growth as an opportunity to give back to our communities by keeping our patients’ out-of-pocket expenses from rising.
“We realize we are a major economic engine for Southwest Wisconsin. Our goals include boosting the area’s economy by expanding jobs as well as by keeping more health care right here in southwest Wisconsin. Doing so also eliminates many trips area residents would be forced to make to larger cities for care. Keeping our prices down helps achieve that goal, and we all stand to benefit. Making such a positive economic impact on our region without raising prices is something our area communities can be very proud of.”
State law requires hospitals to publish changes in gross revenue related to price increases when the increases outpace inflation. This information is public record and available on the Wisconsin Hospital Association website. For more information about hospital price increases, visit http://www.whainfocenter.com/consumers/hospital-rate-increases.
Southwest Health is southwest Wisconsin’s second largest employer and a major contributor to the regional economy. On its hospital campus in Platteville, the organization provides a full range of quality acute care services, including medical and surgical care, emergency and urgent care, orthopedics, women’s health, specialists clinics, a complete eye care center, a retail pharmacy, mental health services, and the area’s largest family medical clinic. Southwest Health also operates a separate inpatient behavioral health facility in Platteville. In Cuba City, Southwest Health’s Epione Pavilion offers long-term skilled nursing care, outpatient rehabilitation, memory care, and family medical care clinic all under one roof.
