Reedsburg Area Medical Center (RAMC) has been providing healthcare in Reedsburg, Wisconsin, since 1902. With a legacy of delivering compassionate, high-quality care, RAMC continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of its community. Today, the hospital serves more than 25,000 people in Reedsburg and surrounding areas, offering comprehensive services including primary care, orthopedics, dermatology, nutrition services, behavioral health, inpatient and surgical care, pediatrics, and emergency services.
Reedsburg Area Medical Center was presented with a 2025 Healthcare Transformation Award at The Alliance’s 2025 Spring Symposium for its commitment to providing high-value care locally. This award is given by The Alliance Board of Directors and acknowledges organizations that drive meaningful change in healthcare by improving quality, affordability, and accessibility.
“There’s a reason The Alliance often recommends Reedsburg Area Medical Center to the employers that we work with. It’s because the organization consistently provides high-value healthcare,” said Deb Kunferman, Vice President of Provider Contracting & Relations at The Alliance. “This provider really aligns with our mission to make healthcare more affordable and accessible. But, what’s furthermore impressive, is the organization’s deep commitment to the well-being of its community.”
Lowering Costs to Keep Care Local
As healthcare costs continue to rise, many patients in Reedsburg were seeking lower-cost care outside of the community. RAMC responded by significantly lowering the cost of several high-demand, shoppable procedures to ensure patients could access affordable care closer to home.
“Reedsburg Area Medical Center is an independent organization. Our independence allows us to locally make decisions as to how we care for patients,” said Robert Van Meeteren, President and CEO at Reedsburg Area Medical Center. “I see our independence as a strength. We can meet or beat any competitor’s cost and self-fund our health plan for our employees.”
In partnership with The Alliance, Reedsburg Area Medical Center introduced over 25 bundled pricing options for common services, including:
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Even for services for which RAMC already offered competitive pricing, the organization took proactive steps to further reduce costs and support employers and their employees.
“When people stay and get those services of a very high quality locally, not only does that healthcare dollar stay in our community, but all the other dollars that could have left are staying in the community,” said Van Meeteren. This includes dollars spent on transportation, lodging, food, and time off work—all of which would be lost if care were sought elsewhere. Keeping care local supports local jobs, strengthens the hospital’s financial sustainability, and stimulates the regional economy.
Local care allows for better care coordination and continuity. Patients have easier access to follow-up visits, chronic condition management, and consistent communication with their care teams. This leads to better health outcomes and fewer complications—especially for those managing complex or ongoing conditions. Local healthcare providers also often have a deeper understanding of the unique needs of their communities. They build relationships based on trust and cultural familiarity—critical factors in encouraging people to seek preventive care, manage chronic conditions, and engage in wellness programs.
By keeping care local, RAMC is not only supporting its own mission but also becoming a central pillar of the community’s economic and physical well-being. It’s a positively reinforcing cycle with healthier employees, stronger businesses, and a thriving healthcare system all reinforcing one another.
Supporting Community Needs
Reedsburg Area Medical Center is committed to the well-being of the community it serves. “Our niche is to provide good care to our community,” said Teresa Field, Chief Operating Officer at RAMC. “We want to prove that we are deserving of that care staying here.”
Beyond clinical care, RAMC actively promotes health and wellness through a variety of community-focused programs and initiatives. The organization offers fitness and wellness classes, hosts farmers markets, and maintains wellness programs to encourage physical activity. It provides childbirth education and breastfeeding support, along with tobacco cessation programs to support healthier lifestyles. RAMC also conducts car seat safety checks, organizes health fairs, and runs Club Scrub, an educational program for 8th-grade students interested in healthcare careers. Additional outreach includes Bright Smiles in the Classroom, a dental education initiative, regular Meals on Wheels deliveries, and community blood drives. Reedsburg Area Medical Center also supports the next generation of healthcare professionals through scholarships for both nursing and non-nursing students.
Through participation in the annual Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), the organization identifies key health challenges and responds with targeted improvements. For example, in response to the 2022 CHNA, RAMC expanded and enhanced its behavioral health, women’s health, and primary care facilities.
Talking the Talk and Walking the Walk
In addition to providing high-value healthcare, Reedsburg Area Medical Center made the decision to self-fund its employee health plan as part of a broader effort to control costs, improve employee well-being, and set an example for other local employers. As both a healthcare provider and an employer, RAMC understood the unique opportunity it had to lead by example—and the impact that doing so could have on its employees, patients, and the broader community.
Self-funding gave RAMC greater visibility and control over its healthcare spending. With this model, they were able to design benefits that directly addressed the needs of their workforce and avoid the hidden costs that often come with fully insured plans. Most importantly, they reinvested those savings into programs that support their employees’ physical and mental health, ultimately improving morale, retention, and productivity.
“What’s good for employees is good for the employer,” said Field. “You really have to create a culture that promotes a commitment to wellness. The things we’re doing resonate with our employees, our patients, and employers. When you see feedback that you’re hitting the mark it makes you want to work harder.”
By self-funding, RAMC aligned its financial strategy with its mission—improving health outcomes for employees and strengthening its position as a community leader in healthcare. The result is a win-win: healthier employees, a more financially sustainable organization, and a model other providers in the region can look to for inspiration.
A Trusted Partner in The Alliance Networks
Reedsburg Area Medical Center is a proud provider within The Alliance’s Smarter NetworksSM, making high-value care accessible to self-funded employers and their employees. RAMC worked closely with The Alliance to meet the criteria to be designated as a Preferred-Value Provider by developing bundled pricing and lowering costs for shoppable and critical procedures. Preferred-Value Providers are in-network providers that offer lower-cost, frequently utilized shoppable procedures and tests that are impactful to employers’ overall healthcare spend.
The Alliance encourages employers to include RAMC in a lower-cost tier in their benefit plan design. This helps steer employees to a high-value local option while improving affordability and patient outcomes. The Reedsburg Area Medical Center also works collaboratively with employers to work on their network and benefit plan design.
A Model for Healthcare Transformation
“We’re very proud to receive this award. It puts an exclamation point behind all the work that we’ve done over the years to make sure that our patients have access to high-quality care in Reedsburg, Wisconsin,” said Van Meeteren. “It’s exciting to get that recognition because it tells us we’re on the right track,” stated Field.
Reedsburg Area Medical Center exemplifies how a mission-driven health system can reduce costs, improve care, and keep healthcare dollars in the community — proving that bending the medical cost trend is not only possible but already happening in places like Reedsburg.
Watch Reedsburg Area Medical Center’s Healthcare Transformation Award video.