Sauk Prairie Healthcare and Prairie Clinic have reached an agreement to join together as one organization on December 21, 2025.
“By working together as one, our communities will benefit from enhanced quality and better access to care. We can create a seamless system of care with the scale, expertise, and resources needed to achieve more than either organization could on its own,” explained Shawn Lerch, Sauk Prairie Healthcare CEO. “Everyone at both organizations will have a role to play in bringing the best healthcare to our neighbors.”
This agreement comes after more than two years of planning by the two organizations’ boards of directors. Prairie Clinic will become the sixth primary care clinic in Sauk Prairie Healthcare’s independent, locally owned network.
Employees of Prairie Clinic will be welcomed into Sauk Prairie Healthcare’s team, resulting in a combined workforce of over 900, which includes 49 physicians and 68 advanced practice providers.
As the transition is implemented over the next several months, communication to patients will be a high priority. There will be no operational changes affecting patients prior to December 21, 2025. The hospital and its clinics will be in-network providers for all major area health insurance plans, including Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield which recently agreed to again include Sauk Prairie Healthcare in its network effective January 2026.
“Our two independent organizations have a 70-year history of working together to serve the health needs in Sauk Prairie and the surrounding communities, beginning with Prairie Clinic physician Dr. Gibbs Zauft who was the driving force behind the creation of the hospital in 1954,” explained Dr. Kevin Vogt, Prairie Clinic President. “Joining
together continues this tradition of visionary thinking to ensure the future of locally focused healthcare.”
Kari Apel, President of the Sauk Prairie Healthcare Board of Directors, added, “Unifying our efforts now strengthens that locally led model so decisions about services are made here, with our neighbors in mind. It’s how we honor our past and secure our future—stronger together.”
