Eau Claire County judge denies request to force regional hospitals to delay closure

An Eau Claire County judge has denied a request by an orthopedic clinic to force Hospitals Sisters Health System, or HSHS, to delay the closure of two hospitals in the Chippewa Valley region.

Chippewa Valley Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Clinic filed the request for a temporary injunction earlier this month. The clinic claimed that HSHS breached their contract by not providing 180 days of notice before ending their agreement. 

HSHS and Prevea Health publicly announced on Jan. 22 that they were closing Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire, St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls and their network of clinics in the region. The health systems said the facilities would cease operations on or before April 21.

Chippewa Valley Orthopedics asked the court to require HSHS and the two hospitals to fulfill the 180-day notice outlined in their agreement, which would extend until July 21. The clinic also asked the court to order the hospitals to return services to their previous level, claiming HSHS canceled procedures scheduled on or after Feb. 1.

During a motion hearing on Tuesday, Eau Claire Circuit Judge Sarah Harless denied the request for a temporary injunction. Another hearing in the case is scheduled for March 4.

In a statement, Chippewa Valley Orthopedics Group President Dr. Austin Crow said the clinic is ready to work with HSHS to address their concerns outside of litigation. 

“We filed the suit with eyes wide open, knowing that the Court would face a difficult decision, and we appreciate how re-opening all the services and programs HSHS has forced close ahead of the announced closure date may be impractical and financially prohibitive given how HSHS has operated since January 22,” Crow said in the statement.

A spokesperson for HSHS and Prevea Health said in a statement that the hospitals systems were “pleased with the outcome of the hearing and will continue to follow our thoughtful wind-down process, as planned.”

“Our priority throughout this process has been, and continues to be, providing safe, quality care to our patients as we exit the Western Wisconsin market,” the spokesperson said in the statement.

Chippewa Valley Orthopedics is a member of OakLeaf Medical Network, a physician network in western Wisconsin that announced on Feb. 1 that it hopes to buy the two HSHS hospitals and all associated Prevea Health clinics in the region.