Region grows as a medical center

Sep. 21--Greater Mankato has long been buttressed by strong hospital and clinic systems, including Mayo Clinic Health System, Mankato Clinic, New Ulm Medical Center and River's Edge in St. Peter.

Being a regional health care destination has helped grow a variety of other professional medical services.

"Mankato obviously has a strong draw from the rural areas," said Jon Kearney, manager of Handi Medical Supply, a relatively new and growing medical supply business at Madison East Center.

And beyond the major medical providers, the area has been welcoming to small operations such as Madelia Community Hospital & Clinic.

CEO Jeff Mengenhausen said the key to their strong growth has been adding services people want, thinking outside the box and partnering whenever possible.

"Health care today is 95% cooperation and 5% competition."

Handi Medical

Handi Medical Supply started in Mankato six years ago with a small, windowless showroom in Madison East and is now in an expanded space "with awesome east-facing windows," said Kearney.

Madison East, a former and once nearly vacant shopping mall, has been transformed into a center with a wide variety of medical services including dermatologists, psychologists, physical therapists and more. The center has affectionately been dubbed "Medical East Center" by tenants.

Handi Medical sells mostly to the public. "Anything from wound care to socks to wheelchairs, oxygen, CPAP," Kearney said. "Items designed to keep you healthy and safe at home rather than going to a nursing home."

Kearney comes from a medical family. His dad, Mike, and uncle Wynn were both longtime orthopedic surgeons in Mankato.

Handi Medical is based in St. Paul and has a location in Coon Rapids. Kearney said Handi Medical was effectively asked to come to Mankato by a local physician who used their services and suggested they'd fit well in Mankato.

Kearney said several other smaller medical supply stores that had been in Mankato closed, mostly victims of complicated insurance processes.

"A lot of the privately owned medical equipment companies have kind of fallen by the wayside. With insurance paying less and less, it got tough for the mom-and-pop shop."

He said Handi Medical has had solid growth year after year. "Being newer in town, it takes time to get established."

Kearney said supplying equipment people need monthly -- CPAP, ostomy, continence supplies -- are the backbone of their business.

And scooters and wheelchairs are also an important part of it. "We have custom chairs. We don't fabricate them but meet with a therapist and they say here's what a customer needs and we assemble it for them."

He said creating something that improves people's lives is rewarding.

"We did a standing power wheelchair for someone who was in a wheelchair for years and then they could stand up. That's pretty cool."

Madelia system expands

"We've been growing very quickly," Mengenhausen said of Madelia Community Hospital & Clinic. "Our new patient numbers are up nearly 40% compared to last year. Orthopedics and pain management are growing, and we're increasing general surgery."

They also have taken over the the ambulance service previously operated by the city. "We're moving to an advanced life support ambulance. We'll be the only one other than Mayo and Allina, and we'll partner with them to help out when they need it. We just committed to build a new ambulance space right on the campus."

The health system also just opened a pharmacy in Lake Crystal, a rare case of a small community gaining, not losing a local pharmacy.

"Lake Crystal had done an economic survey and the top thing they needed was a pharmacy. We thought we could help them out and talked to the city and mayor, and the financials worked."

At about the same time the new pharmacy opened on Main Street last month, Madelia also took over the clinic practice in Lake Crystal that was formerly operated by Mankato Clinic.

"The clinic just kind of fell into our lap," Mengenhausen said. Dr. Kirk Odden, the longtime Mankato Clinic doctor in the Lake Crystal office, retired.

"We have a physician, Marc Wilkinson, who lives in Lake Crystal and he will do his rounds in Madelia and then head to Lake Crystal," Mengenhausen said. They also hired a nurse practitioner for the Lake Crystal office.

"Lake Crystal is similar size to Madelia and this is just one community helping out another."

He said that if people need things like CT scans, surgeries or other more intense care, they can access the hospital and clinic in Madelia.

"We're ranked one of the top critical care hospitals for patient experience in the country this year," Mengenhausen said.

Madelia also has expanded its urgent care and is drawing more people from Lake Crystal, St. James, Hanska, Truman and other surrounding areas.

"I think it was just getting people in the door and seeing the service we provide that has driven our numbers."

He said the key these days is to continue working to drive down expenses and to grow services. "If you're not adding services and thinking outside the box, small independent hospitals like this aren't going to survive."

The Madelia system is governed by a nine-member board. "It's citizens -- a retired farmer, a stay-at-home mom, people who work at the bank. We've had some long-term board members."

The Madelia system partners with Allina and Mankato Clinic on visiting physicians. They've also partnered with Veterans Affairs to do imaging, urgent care and surgery. Allowing vets to get more services at area health systems rather than only at VA facilities was allowed under an order signed by President Trump.

"That's really helped. People don't have to drive to the Cities or wait two or three weeks to get in. We're not necessarily their primary care physician. That's still handled by the VA."

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