Emplify Health and Pearl Health Partner to Expand Accountable Care Across the Upper Midwest
NEW YORK, Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Emplify Health, the not-for-profit health system formed by Bellin Health and Gundersen Health System, today announced a partnership with leading technology company Pearl Health. The partnership is designed to help older adults across the region stay healthy and independent in the communities where they live. Beginning in 2027, the collaboration will enhance care delivery for approximately 25,000 Medicare beneficiaries across the combined Bellin and Gundersen footprint of 11 hospitals, over 100 clinics and 1,400 providers in the Upper Midwest. Pearl brings the infrastructure that makes accountable care sustainable: modeling and managing financial risk, monitoring network-wide performance against Medicare benchmarks, and applying lessons learned from providers operating in similar markets nationwide.
Many of the patients Emplify Health serves live in rural and small-town Wisconsin and Minnesota, where a hospitalization can mean hours away from home and family. By identifying health risks earlier and organizing care around the primary care relationship, the two organizations aim to support patient wellness and long-term health, giving physicians more time to focus on those who need it most.
Providers participating in Pearl Health's accountable care organizations gain access to data insights, financial tools, practice enablement technology, and a broad range of accountable care services. That infrastructure has been tested at scale. In 2026, Pearl supported more than 10,000 providers across over 40 states, managing approximately $3.6 billion in annualized medical spend on behalf of more than 250,000 Medicare beneficiaries, and is projected to deliver $500 million in gross savings through the end of 2026.
Emplify Health patients will keep their current physician and see no change to their Medicare benefits, coverage or out-of-pocket costs. What changes is behind the scenes. Care teams gain a clearer, more timely picture of each patient's health with Pearl's predictive analytics, allowing them to surface the highest priority patient insights inside the workflows care teams already use. The system will flag which patients are at rising risk, who has fallen out of touch with their care team, and where an intervention will matter most.
Emplify Health enters the partnership with a proven track record. The Bellin Health Partners ACO ranked second out of 482 organizations nationwide on quality and patient experience in 2022. The Pearl Health partnership is designed to sustain that performance as the network takes on greater financial accountability.
"Our purpose is to increase access, amplify empathy and improve population health outcomes across every community we serve," said Scott Rathgaber, MD, CEO of Emplify Health. "Partnering with Pearl advances all three, and it positions our providers to keep delivering that care sustainably for the long term."
For Pearl Health, the partnership extends its work with health systems taking on greater accountability for the health of their communities.
"We're proud to be entrusted by Emplify to help better serve their patients," said Michael Kopko, Co-Founder and CEO of Pearl Health. "They've built one of the strongest accountable care programs in the Midwest, and their clinicians have earned deep trust across these communities. What we add is clarity: knowing which patients need attention, where there's opportunity to improve care quality across the population, and making that visible to our partners while they can still act on it."
The two organizations will begin onboarding Emplify Health practices this fall ahead of the January 1, 2027 start date, with plans to build on the collaboration across the network's Wisconsin and Minnesota markets.
About Emplify Health
Emplify Health is a not-for-profit, patient-centered, community-focused healthcare network with headquarters in Green Bay and La Crosse, Wisconsin. Emplify Health has more than 15,000 employees, including more than 1,400 clinicians, in 11 hospitals and more than 100 clinic locations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Upper Michigan, and Iowa. With community partners, Emplify Health strives to lead (with love) local, regional and national healthcare transformation to inspire people's best lives at every stage. Learn what we are becoming at emplifyhealth.org.
About Pearl Health
Pearl Health enables clinicians and care organizations to deliver smarter, more affordable care outcomes through AI-powered predictive insights, financial risk modeling, and streamlined workflows. The company is building the platform for healthcare outcomes, identifying at-risk patients so providers can intervene before issues become emergencies. Founded in 2020, Pearl supports a network of over 10,000 providers and leading health systems across more than 40 states. Learn more at pearlhealth.com.
Media Contact:
Ksenia Kulik, Interdependence
(919) 349-3786
SOURCE Pearl Health
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