Health Care
CEO
Gundersen Health System and
Bellin Health | La Crosse
In December, Dr. Scott Rathgaber became chief executive officer of the newly merged Bellin Health and Gundersen Health System. The combination of the two organizations – which finalized Nov. 30 – created a $2.4 billion health care system. Bellin and Gundersen have 11 hospitals and 14,000 employees.
Previously, Rathgaber had served as CEO of La Crosse-based Gundersen since 2015. Prior to the merger, Gundersen had revenues of $1.54 billion in 2021 and over 9,000 employees. Its footprint includes seven hospitals and over 60 clinics throughout western Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota and northeast Iowa.
Under Rathgaber’s leadership, Gundersen explored a possible merger with Marshfield Clinic Health System that the organizations eventually abandoned in 2019.
Immediately before becoming CEO, Rathgaber was medical vice president of the system’s hospital operations, neurosciences, general surgery, anesthesiology, emergency services, occupational health services and pharmacy.
Rathgaber is active in advocating on behalf of hospitals through the Wisconsin Hospital Association, participating in roundtables with lawmakers and traveling to Washington, D.C. to meet with lawmakers. He also advocated on behalf of his and other hospitals supporting Operation Allies Welcome, in which more than 13,000 Afghan evacuees were housed at Fort McCoy in Monroe County in August 2021.
Education: Bachelor’s, Wabash College; M.D., Indiana University Medical Center