Southwest Health purchased the Davis Duehr Dean Eye Care clinic, located on the hospital campus at 1450 Eastside Road in Platteville.

The name changed to the Eye Center at Southwest Health when the transaction became official June 29. All patients who were using the Davis Duehr Dean Eye Care Clinic in Platteville will be able to continue their eye care at the same location after the transition. The Eye Center at Southwest Health will accept insurance coverage from more carriers than Davis Duehr Dean did.

“These types of changes benefit consumers and providers alike, and they’re commonplace in today’s health care marketplace,” said Southwest Health CEO Dan Rohrbach. “Southwest Health is a modern health system, and a great hospital happens to be part of that system. But, it’s not the only part. 

“We now offer primary care clinics in Platteville and Cuba City, Epione Pavilion in Cuba City, mental health services, and soon our own eye center. We come to work every morning on behalf of the people of southwest Wisconsin, and it is both our privilege and pleasure to provide excellent care to our communities.”

Transferring ownership of the Eye Center to local control, according to Rohrbach, helps position Southwest Health and its medical providers to continue growing and positively impacting area communities in keeping with national trends. According to the American Hospital Association, the number of physicians directly employed by hospitals increased 45 percent from 2000 to 2010. About half of all U.S. physicians are now employed by hospitals, and this trend is expected to continue as the U.S. healthcare system changes. 

“We value the quality and the many years of service Davis Duehr Dean has provided our area,” said Rohrbach. “We will continue to work with them to ensure our patients have access to specialty eye services.

“At the same time, we know that when we partner more closely with our local providers, our patients benefit. Working on the same team means we can better coordinate services, and that means better care for our patients.” Rohrbach says direct employment of providers also helps control costs. In addition to being able to better negotiate with insurance companies, closer partnerships allow hospitals and doctors to be more responsive to patient needs and to better allocate resources. 

The current providers, optometrist Nicole Klein, O.D., and ophthalmologist Mary Jo Oyen, M.D., are remaining at the Eye Center to serve all patients’ eye care needs. 

Southwest Health is the region’s second largest employer with more than 450 full-time and part-time staff. Headquartered in Platteville, the growing health system has added many high quality jobs in recent years, adding greatly to both the local economy and to the quality of life for many individual families. 

In addition to the hospital and Epione Pavilion  Southwest Health operates Southwest Behavioral Services on North Elm Street in Platteville.