The acquisition of Brown Clinic by Prairie Lakes Healthcare System will strengthen and provide a full continuum of healthcare services to the Watertown region.
WATERTOWN, South Dakota (September 12, 2023) – Prairie Lakes Healthcare System and Brown Clinic are pleased to announce they have entered into a definitive agreement for the acquisition of Brown Clinic by Prairie Lakes Healthcare System effective January 1, 2024. Brown Clinic will then become Prairie Lakes Brown Clinic.
“This agreement is monumental for both organizations and a step forward for the community of Watertown,” said Vincent A. “Vince” Foley, Chairman of the Prairie Lakes Healthcare System Board of Directors. “Creating more cohesive care will make it easier for patients to access health care services from primary care to specialty and hospital care all under one unified health system.”
“Brown Clinic and Prairie Lakes have a long history of collaboration, so it feels natural to formalize our relationship to ensure that exceptional health care stays local and accessible for Watertown and the surrounding communities,” added Stacie Lenssen, MD, Brown Clinic, General Partner.
In May 2023, the organizations signed a letter of intent and entered into a period of due diligence to reach a definitive agreement. “The due diligence period allowed both organizations to explore the opportunities and benefits of integrating our clinical operations and developing plans to move forward. The next step in the transition is getting into the specifics of processes, systems, people, and protocols that need to be in place before January,” commented John Allen, CEO of Prairie Lakes Healthcare System.
Lenssen noted that “We are excited to advance to the next chapter of providing a comprehensive continuum of healthcare services to the community, supporting medical provider and service line growth, and continuing to strengthen the outstanding patient-centered care our teams provide every day.”
There are many details of the agreement that will be addressed during the transition period that will take place between now and January 1st, 2024. A "frequently asked questions" document is available below.
# # #
About Prairie Lakes Healthcare System
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System is an independent organization that provides care for 90,000 people in a ten-county region of northeast South Dakota and western Minnesota. Prairie Lakes is licensed to operate 81 acute care hospital beds including Labor and Delivery, Telemetry, Critical Care, and general hospital. Hospital services also include a 24-hour emergency department, surgical services, Interventional Cardiology, and services providing diagnostics and imaging services.
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System also operates Prairie Lakes Cancer Center, Prairie Lakes Mallard Pointe Surgical Center, dialysis units in Sisseton, SD, Watertown, SD and Ortonville, MN, rehabilitation services, and specialty services. Specialty services are a focus of Prairie Lakes to bring needed care to the Watertown region. These specialties include Cardiology, Dermatology, Ear, Nose & Throat, General Surgery, Hospice, Home Care, Nephrology, Orthopedics, Pulmonology, Urology, and Wound Care.
About Brown Clinic
Brown Clinic, PLLP is a physician-owned and operated outpatient clinic. Based in Watertown, SD, Brown Clinic offers primary care and subspecialty physicians and advanced practice practitioners including family and internal medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN, podiatry and pharmaceutical care. It provides more than 70,000 medical patient visits annually and a full array of advanced diagnostic, laboratory and state-of-the-art imaging services, Brown Clinic is certified as a level three Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) and participates as an Accountable Care Organization (ACO).