St. Croix Hospice and Mayo Clinic Health System (MCHS) have entered into a definitive agreement for St. Croix Hospice to acquire MCHS’s hospice operations in Northwest and Southwest Wisconsin. The agreement is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close later this quarter. The organizations have been longstanding partners in Midwest care, with St. Croix Hospice serving as a leading agency for hospice patients referred outside MCHS.
“Over the past several years, we’ve built a strong collaborative relationship with St. Croix Hospice, grounded in a shared commitment to compassionate, high-quality end-of-life care. The recent transition of the MCHS Mankato hospice program to St. Croix Hospice was thoughtful and patient-centric, giving us confidence in this next step,” said Richard Helmers, M.D., vice president of MCHS Wisconsin.
“With more than 85 locations across the Midwest staffed by local care teams, St. Croix Hospice have been proudly providing hospice care for MCHS patients throughout the Midwest for many years,” said St. Croix Hospice Chief Clinical Officer Mandy Cogswell. “The ongoing collaboration between St. Croix Hospice and MCHS has been seamless for patients and families due to an aligned focus on clinical excellence and innovation, which puts the needs of patients at the forefront of all we do.”
In addition to the recent acquisition of the MCHS Mankato hospice program, this marks the second time St. Croix Hospice has acquired a health system-based hospice program in recent months—following a fourth-quarter 2024 purchase of programs in Iowa and Nebraska.
“We are seeing hospital-based post-acute divestitures are an emerging trend,” said St. Croix Hospice CEO Heath Bartness. “We appreciate our long-standing referral relationship with MCHS and are pleased that St. Croix Hospice was selected to continue their tradition of clinical excellence in hospice care.”
St. Croix Hospice will continue to work closely with MCHS teams to ensure a smooth transition of patients to St. Croix Hospice’s care.
