October 26, 2013
CIO Story
ThedaCare, Wisconsin: Successful Integration through Leadership

The History
ThedaCare’s roots in Northeast Wisconsin are more than a century deep. Having different names and different partnerships over the years; the merger of Appleton Medical Center and Theda Clark Medical Center formed Novus Health Group, Novus partnered with United Health of Wisconsin Insurance Company and became United Health Group. Finally in August of 1999 ThedaCare is born from its modest beginning as a merger of two community hospitals.
But In 1997, ThedaCare was an organization facing increased competitive pressure; higher costs, lower reimbursements, and a nationwide nursing shortage. The organization encompassed 3 hospitals, physicians' offices, and a health plan. Regrettably, ThedaCare was not connected to the Internet or intranet. All organizational and business communication was conducted by snail mail, phone, and fax.
Current State
ThedaCare grew through consolidation and acquisition. It became a fragmented organization growing beyond its ability to operate as a cohesive unit. Its infrastructure had a disparate computer system, a disconnected care process and often-conflicting goals. The ThedaCare organization encompassed 3 hospitals, physician's offices and a Health Plan. Each hospital had its own system for registration, scheduling, pharmacy, lab, radiology and billing. Physician's offices had their own system for registration, scheduling and billing. The Health Plan system included registration, coverage and billing. It was functioning as a conglomeration of independent units.
Future State
ThedaCare realized its challenges and developed a business plan to overcome them. ThedaCare set out to prove that a partnership between payer and provider could exist under one roof, that hospitals could work together to produce higher quality care,