WinnMed Board approves new Professional Services Agreement with Mayo Clinic Health System

At the January 8, 2025 WinnMed Board of Trustees meeting, the Board approved a new Professional Services Agreement with Mayo Clinic Health System. The agreement will take effect July 1, 2025 and will remain in place for three consecutive five-year terms. 

Background

On June 27, 2024, Mayo Clinic Health System announced their intentions to end the current Management Services Agreement and Professional Services Agreement with WinnMed in Decorah and develop a new Professional Services Agreement (PSA), in coordination with WinnMed leadership, to address physician services. The agreement provides the framework for Mayo Clinic Health System-Decorah Clinic Physicians (MCHS-DCP) to continue to provide healthcare services at WinnMed in Decorah, as they currently do. 

Highlights of the new PSA

• All current MCHS physicians at WinnMed and the two physicians who had signed their contracts, but not yet started, are included in the agreement.
• There will be no expansion to the MCHS-DCP practice beyond the current team.  New physicians being recruited will be brought in as WinnMed employees directly or through a contract with another healthcare entity. 
• Outreach physician service agreements (ophthalmology, cardiology, urology, etc.) will continue. They are negotiated through separate contracts and are unaffected by the PSA.
• WinnMed will continue to bill for MCHS-DCP professional services and insurance contracts remain the same.  Patients will not experience changes to their coverage due to the agreement.
• WinnMed can partner with other organizations for physician services instead of exclusively employing or contracting MCHS physicians.
• MCHS-DCP physicians may continue to provide leadership to our WinnMed organization and the practice and/or service lines.

WinnMed Chief Administrative Officer Steve Slessor says, “I am thrilled that WinnMed and Mayo Clinic Health System came together to develop an agreement that keeps our local physicians here in the community and supports the continuation of quality healthcare in our region.  The approval of the new Professional Services Agreement, along with the recent approval of the WinnMed Physician Compensation Plan by our Board, gives our physicians two strong choices for remaining here to provide care to the thousands of patients who rely on them for healthcare.”  He adds, “I appreciate the many people who provided input throughout this process so we can move forward with a strong and solid foundation for the future.”