The history of Marshfield Clinic
In 1916, six physicians - K.W. Doege, M.D.; William Hipke, M.D.; Victor Mason, M.D.; Walter G. Sexton, M.D.; H.H. Milbee, M.D. and Roy P. Potter, M.D. - joined together in group practice, naming the practice after the community.
Their focus? Patient care, research and education. This educational tradition and desire for cutting-edge knowledge have stood the test of time and shaped Marshfield Clinic’s character for decades.
Today, Marshfield Clinic is part of Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the United States. Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the organization has 53,000 employees and serves over 2 million patients and nearly 425,000 health plan members across the upper Midwest.
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World War I and II
Between the wars, Marshfield Clinic added physicians, medical skills and support staff; policies and practices for a changing environment; and an education sabbatical program.
The corporation nearly dissolved in 1944 as doctors left their practices to serve and the economy suffered. Supplies were scarce and care was often given without pay.
Drs. Russell Lewis and Ben Lawton
After World War II, Obstetrician Russell Lewis, M.D., and Thoracic Surgeon Ben Lawton, M.D., joined Marshfield Clinic. Both became Clinic presidents and had national reputations.
Dr. Lewis was the architect and first medical director of the Greater Marshfield Community Health Plan, one of the earliest HMOs in the country and predecessor of today's Security Health Plan. In 1970, he became Marshfield Clinic's first medical director.
Dr. Lawton served on the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents and was a presidential appointee to the nation's Institute of Medicine. To recognize his social advocacy, Dr. Lawton received a pen used by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 to sign Medicare into law.
Growth and expansion
Marshfield Clinic has a history of responding to the growing need for health care.
In 1956, the Clinic had 26 doctors. That number tripled by the 1960s.
Along with growing staff was the need for space. The first Clinic building was built in 1926 in downtown Marshfield. A new 212,000-square-foot facility near the edge of the city, physically connecting the Clinic with Saint Joseph's Hospital, was built and occupied in 1975. Additions were completed in 1984, 1989, and 2003.
Marshfield Clinic had one location until 1976, when the city of Mosinee invited the Clinic to establish a satellite location. Shortly after came Ladysmith, Greenwood and Stanley practices.
Through mergers with existing groups, purchases of practices and primary development, the 1980s saw Marshfield Clinic established in Colby/Abbotsford, Chippewa Falls, Minocqua, Park Falls, Phillips and Mercer. These sites were followed in the 1990s by practices in Rice Lake, Merrill, Wausau, Eau Claire, and other communities.
Today, there are more than 60 Marshfield Clinic locations, 11 hospitals, Marshfield Children's Hospital, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, Security Health Plan, and Marshfield Clinic Foundation.