ThedaCare invests in Smart Choice MRI
New partnership supports growing market shift to value-based medicine
ThedaCare, the largest healthcare system in Northeast Wisconsin, is investing $3 million in Mequon-based Smart Choice MRI, the first MRI provider in the country to offer every MRI for an all-inclusive fee of $600 or less. ThedaCare is a community-based health system that reinvests in the communities it serves. ThedaCare sees potential for consumers in Smart Choice MRI while the new partnership creates an opportunity for both companies to learn from each other and use their knowledge and expertise to bring additional value to patients.
“We look for partners who are culturally and collectively a good fit,” said Keith Livingston, ThedaCare senior vice president of Systems of Care Support. “Smart Choice MRI shares our vision to put patients and consumers at the center of the health care experience. We sometimes collaborate with competitors in the best interests of consumers. In this case, we admire Smart Choice MRI’s service-orientated, consumer-driven model for imaging, which we can learn from and apply to many aspects of our business. Additionally, this partnership is consistent with our need to learn how to better meet consumers’ needs in the evolving-retail healthcare marketplace.”
ThedaCare doctors will continue to work with patients to determine the most appropriate MRI setting for each individual situation, considering all the factors that impact a patient’s choice for an MRI. These include personal health needs, scheduling, insurance coverage and out-of-pocket costs.
“We’re proud to partner with such a forward-thinking healthcare provider,” said Rick Anderson, CEO of Smart Choice MRI. “ThedaCare understands that offering choice to its community is the right thing to do. With consumers assuming more of their medical expenses than ever before, this has never been more important.”
Smart Choice MRI currently has six Wisconsin locations in Milwaukee, Sheboygan, Richfield, Waukesha, Kenosha and Appleton. The company is also scheduled to open at least eight clinics in 2016, four in the Chicago area by April and four more in the Twin Cities by the second half of the year. Smart Choice MRI will use the $3 million capital investment from ThedaCare to support its expansion.
ThedaCare is the first healthcare system to partner with Smart Choice MRI. As a minority owner of Smart Choice MRI’s overall operation, ThedaCare will have a seat on the Smart Choice MRI Board of Directors, and anticipates growth on its investment as Smart Choice MRI grows.
About ThedaCare
For more than 100 years, ThedaCare™ has been committed to finding a better way to deliver serious and complex healthcare to patients throughout Northeast Wisconsin. The organization serves over 200,000 patients annually and employs more than 6,800 healthcare professionals throughout the region. ThedaCare has seven hospitals located in Appleton, Neenah, Berlin, Waupaca, Shawano, New London and Wild Rose as well as 35 clinics in 14 counties. ThedaCare is the first in Wisconsin to be a Mayo Clinic Care Network Member, giving our specialists the ability to consult with Mayo Clinic experts on a patient’s care. ThedaCare is a non-profit healthcare organization with a level II trauma center, comprehensive cancer treatment, stroke and cardiac programs as well as a foundation dedicated to community service. The ThedaCare Regional Cancer Center in Appleton opened Feb. 1. For more information, visit www.thedacare.orgor follow ThedaCare on Facebook and Twitter.
About Smart Choice MRI
Smart Choice MRI is the first MRI provider in the country to offer high quality magnetic resonance imaging to every patient for an all-inclusive fee of $600 or less, which includes the cost of the scan as well as its interpretation by top radiologists from the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic. Smart Choice MRI is accredited by the American College of Radiology and is in network for most major insurers, including United Health Care, Anthem and Humana. Headquartered in Mequon, WI, Smart Choice MRI has clinics in Milwaukee, Sheboygan, Richfield, Waukesha, Kenosha and Appleton and will be opening nine additional Chicago-area clinics beginning with Schaumburg (Feb. 15), Glenview (March 1), Skokie (March 21) and Chicago (April 25). Four clinics are also planned for the Twin Cities. For more information, visit Smart Choice MRI and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
