Ms. Bartels leads Mile Bluff Medical Center, an independent rural health system serving more than 55,000 residents across eight counties in south-central Wisconsin. She has positioned the organization as a forward-thinking competitor against large academic medical centers in Madison. Ms. Bartels piloted and implemented an AI-powered solution integrated directly into the EHR, saving clinicians more than seven minutes per patient encounter and reclaiming hundreds of administrative hours each month, with impact felt across departments including the emergency department, pharmacy, infusion centers and outpatient clinics. She has overseen the transition to a subscription-based software model and capital improvements that support the medical center’s continuum of life mission, ensuring comprehensive care from birth to end-of-life across acute, rehabilitation and specialized service lines. Under her leadership, the organization received the 2024 Chartis Center for Rural Health “Performance Leadership Award.” Ms. Bartels brings more than 20 years of healthcare finance and executive experience, including prior roles as Mile Bluff’s CFO and leadership positions at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, Wis., and UnityPoint Health in West Des Moines, Iowa.
