That same year however, Ascension announced that it would be closing Providence Hospital in Washington DC. The health system ultimately reversed course in Milwaukee, and I wrote to Ascension Wisconsin at that time requesting that the hospital engage with the community in its plans to remain a critical health care access point for central and downtown Milwaukee. Joseph Hospital in Milwaukee’s Sherman Park neighborhood. In 2018, the health system received significant criticism from the community when it announced plans to reduce services at St.
ASCENSION HOSPITALS SERIES
For these reasons I have provided a series of questions I hope will shed light on how Ascension’s significant and unusual investment activities are related to the deterioration of care at its Wisconsin hospital facilities.Īscension operates more than 2,600 health care sites, including 33 facilities in Wisconsin.
In fact, I am concerned that the opposite is occurring-that by operating like a private equity fund, Ascension is squeezing staff, closing facilities, and extracting cash from its member hospitals for dubious “management fees” all to advance its investment activities and provide compensation to its executives. According to Ascension, these investments are “generating capital gains that can be re-invested to support Ascension’s Mission to care for those who are poor and vulnerable,” yet there is no indication that the proceeds of Ascension’s investment funds are being reinvested in Ascension’s Wisconsin hospitals. Despite these requirements, Ascension has significant for-profit investment activities that dwarf what the system provides in annual charity care. As a nonprofit, tax-exempt, health system, Ascension is required to provide charitable benefits to the community and operate solely to serve a public, rather than a private interest. Mary’s, and the closure of a labor and delivery unit on Milwaukee’s south side at Ascension St. I write to you with concerns about recent reporting from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Milwaukee Magazine highlighting “disruptions to patient care, long wait times in the emergency department, delayed surgeries and staff concerns about patient safety” at Ascension Columbia St. “I called on Ascension’s CEO to answer for this pattern of practices that seem to indicate that Ascension is putting aside its mission to serve Wisconsin families with affordable, undisrupted health care in favor of funneling cash to its investment funds and executives.”įull text of the letter is available here and below. However, I am extremely concerned by the recent cuts to critical programs and squeezing of hospital staff by Ascension hospitals that are putting Wisconsin providers and patients at risk in the process,” said Senator Baldwin. “Ascension has a mission to serve vulnerable and underserved communities, and they operate as a non-profit in order to better fulfill this mission. In her letter, Senator Baldwin raised concerns that Ascension Health system is operating like a private equity fund, squeezing staff, closing facilities, and extracting cash from its member hospitals for dubious “management fees” to advance its investment activities, putting patients and providers at risk.
Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) sent a letter to Ascension CEO Joseph Impicciche calling on him to answer for Ascension's questionable priorities that appear to go against its non-profit mission.
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