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Dane County’s First Member-Owned Health Plan
Our journey begins with the vision of early founding members who had a novel idea. Consumers of health care should own and dictate the way health care is delivered. They wanted to put emphasis on preventive health care. They also wanted to control costs in an established health system notorious for high medical costs.
From the first bold vision of what GHC-SCW could be, we’ve never stopped listening, growing and innovating. We look for new ways to enhance the quality of care and improve the quality of lives.
As Dane County’s first member-owned health plan, everyone at GHC-SCW is proud of our legacy of "firsts" that have set us apart from day one.
From the first bold vision of what GHC-SCW could be, we’ve never stopped listening, growing and innovating. We look for new ways to enhance the quality of care and improve the quality of lives.
As Dane County’s first member-owned health plan, everyone at GHC-SCW is proud of our legacy of "firsts" that have set us apart from day one.
See Our History Throughout The Years
March 6
1972
GHC-SCW Incorporates
A group of community members decided to establish GHC-SCW as a prepaid group practice. The established medical community opposed the concept at first. They didn't believe in community or member involvement in health care. Soon, our novel idea took root.
October
1974
GHC-SCW Receives Start-Up Funding
GHC-SCW faced opposition from the Dane County Medical Society and didn't have funding. Community members persevered. They worked hard to secure funding from the Wisconsin Health Planning Council. This allowed GHC-SCW to form an organizational structure, buy equipment and hire staff.
March 1
1976
GHC-SCW Provides Services
We saw our first patient on March 1, 1976. 49 people enrolled for medical care through GHC-SCW.
October 28
1976
First Membership Meeting
From the beginning, our steadfast belief in member involvement has defined our organization. At the first annual Membership Meeting, members elected 15 people to serve as the GHC-SCW Board of Directors. All 15 were members of the Cooperative.
April 1
1981
Membership Triples in Three Years
All the hard work we did providing member-owned health plans began to show tangible results in 1981. Enrollment surged to 11,353 member-owners. As the area’s only HMO, GHC-SCW emphasized primary care, health education and early disease detection.
January 1
1984
First to Offer Dental Benefits
GHC-SCW was the first HMO in the area to offer preventive dental benefits to members.
1984
Transformation of the Health Insurance Market
The State of Wisconsin wanted to make more HMOs like GHC-SCW available to its 27,000 employees. Early founders were amazed that their novel idea would help stimulate the growth of competing plans. And just eight years after GHC-SCW began.
January 1
1989
Partnership with UW Hospital and Clinics
After collaborating on a few projects with UW Hospital and Clinics, we officially partnered. It was a natural fit and allowed members to use all UW Hospital and Clinics locations. Our partnerships later allowed GHC-SCW to become the only health plan in Dane County to partner with all Dane County specialists and hospitals.
October 1
1996
GHC-SCW Improves Access to Health Care
GHC-SCW joined the Alliance and area Chambers of Commerce to launch a new and innovative insurance program. The Alliance-Chamber Health Insurance Program (A-CHIP) was an effort to make health insurance affordable for small employers. A-CHIP would later become “ChamberCARE."
October 13
1997
Named #1 HMO in the Nation
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) named GHC-SCW the number one HMO in the nation for quality.
May 14
1998
Members Elect Providers to Board
In order to bring new perspectives to the Cooperative leadership, two GHC-SCW medical providers were added to the Board of Directors.
Spring
2002
First Area Health Plan with Electronic Medical Records
As a healthcare innovator, GHC-SCW became the first health plan in the area to launch electronic medical records. The conventional paper medical records were transformed into a smarter, more dynamic system.
August
2003
GHCMyChartSM Made Available to Members
GHC-SCW was the first health plan in the area to provide members with GHCMyChartSM. This allowed members to schedule appointments online, send messages to their provider and more.
October
2004
New Website Launch
We launched our website to better share important information about GHC-SCW with members.
January 3
2005
Complementary Medicine Center Opens
GHC-SCW became the first and only health plan in the area to offer Complementary Medicine services as part of our benefits. Members could have yoga, massage therapy, acupuncture and more integrated with primary care.
August 29
2018
Launched GHC Experience GuaranteeSM
This was Wisconsin's first and only money-back health care experience guarantee. It's a promise that our members will feel well-cared-for every time they visit our clinics. Or we'll refund their out-of-pocket costs from their visit. No questions asked.
October 5
2018
Named #1 HMO in the Nation, AGAIN!
GHC-SCW is the top-rated HMO in Wisconsin and one of only two health plans in the nation with a rating of 5 out of 5 in NCQA’s Private Health Insurance Plan Ratings 2018–2019.
December 19
2019
Introduced a 24/7/365 Virtual Care Platform, GHC Care OnDemand
GHC Care OnDemand is an inexpensive alternative to urgent care. GHC-SCW members can see providers or behavioral health specialists whenever they need. GHC Care OnDemand providers are available after hours, nights, weekends and holidays
January 1
2021
Announced Dane County Network Expansion
GHC-SCW announces a new partnership with UW Health and UnityPoint Health – Meriter. We added 19 Dane County HMO primary care clinic locations to our network.