Meriter Opens Monona Clinic

MONONA, Wis., Oct. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Meriter today opened its sixth regional clinic – and its largest – the latest addition to its vision for the future of  health care in Dane County, its president and CEO said during opening ceremonies of its Monona clinic on the corner of Broadway and Stoughton Road.

The 57,600 square-foot facility will serve those in need of primary care, including internal medicine, and family medicine. In addition to state-of-the-art medical imaging and laboratory services, therapy services are available at this location. Patients are able to receive physical therapy, hand therapy and return to work therapy, all close to home. In the near future, the clinic will also provide pediatric, OB/GYN, medical psychology, orthopedic and rehabilitation medicine services.

"This local clinic isn't just about making it easier for our patients to see their family doctors. This is an architectural metaphor for Meriter's vision for the future – the ability to see a family doctor immediately in order to help our patients and members manage their health, manage wellness and detect possible serious problems early,'' said Jim Woodward, Meriter President & CEO.

"We strongly believe that this initial investment will mean better care and, ultimately, millions of dollars in savings through an integrated health-care delivery model that includes easy-to-access clinics, direct communication with family doctors, and a hospital and an HMO integrated into one system.

"Virtually every study around the country shows that this is the future – and it is exactly what the federal government is encouraging  all health-care systems to do,'' he said, noting that future Medicare and Medicaid payments will "incentivize'' integrated health care systems based on family health care."

Robert Turngren, MD, president of the Meriter Medical Group agrees. He also offered some perspective from the physicians' viewpoint.

"This clinic represents a vision of the future of which our doctors are very proud, and it will allow us to become even stronger partners in health with our patients," Turngren said. "We are truly looking forward to a future in which we're working to help people stay healthy and prevent disease, not simply working to help those who get sick or hurt."

The clinic's initial team of primary care physicians include:

Meriter celebrated the opening of the clinic with an open house, which welcomed local community, political and business leaders in addition to local residents and their families.

"We're very excited to be here," said Woodward, as he mingled with the guests at the open house. "It's wonderful to meet the community we'll be serving for years to come."

ABOUT MERITER MEDICAL GROUP: Meriter Medical Group is a growing primary and specialty care practice serving Meriter Hospital and Meriter clinics. The Meriter clinics serve patients in the Greater Madison and Dane County area by providing easy access at clinics located in downtown and southwest Madison, Middleton, DeForest-Windsor and Monona.

SOURCE Meriter