Longtime healthcare leader Nick Desien will retire from his role as Senior Vice President, Ascension Health/Wisconsin Ministry Market Executive effective December 31, 2015. Desien has been with Ministry Health Care and then Ascension for nearly 30 years, serving first as Ministry’s Chief Financial Officer and for 16 years as President and Chief Executive Officer before assuming an executive role with Ascension when Ministry joined the national health system in 2013.
Under Desien’s leadership Ministry grew to be one of the largest healthcare delivery systems in Wisconsin, with 15 hospitals, 46 clinic sites and over 10,000 associates. During his tenure, Ministry acquired Howard Young Health Care in Woodruff and Eagle River and Good Samaritan Health Center in Merrill, built Ministry Saint Clare’s Hospital in Weston, and assumed sole sponsorship of Affinity Health System, having jointly sponsored it for a number of years with Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare.
In 2013 Desien led the process for Ministry Health Care and Affinity Health System to join Ascension. Most recently in his role as Wisconsin Ministry Market Executive, Desien was instrumental in the effort to execute a Letter of Intent for Wisconsin-based Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare hospitals to join Ascension in early 2016.
Under Desien’s leadership, Ministry Health Care was named to the top 20 percent of multi-hospital systems in the U.S. by Truven Health Analytics for seven consecutive years due to its track record in service delivery, clinical quality and financial stewardship, and it became a member of Integrated Health Network of Wisconsin.
“It has been a great pleasure to work with Nick for the past several years since Ministry joined Ascension,” said Robert J. Henkel, FACHE, Executive Vice President, Ascension, and President and Chief Executive Officer, Ascension Health. “His commitment and dedication to providing compassionate, personalized care to individuals across the state, especially those who are in poverty and struggling the most, has been critical to the success of our healthcare ministry in Wisconsin.”
“Nick and I spoke a year ago regarding a transition plan for retirement,” said Patricia Maryland, Dr.PH, President, Healthcare Operations and Chief Operating Officer, Ascension Health. “Under his leadership, Ministry has been at the forefront of creating and participating in regional clinically integrated systems of care that benefit those we care for across Wisconsin. We all wish Nick and his family the very best in his retirement.”
“My 30 years in Wisconsin have been a wonderful and fulfilling journey and my time with Ascension over these last few years has offered me the opportunity to work with incredibly bright, talented, caring and committed leaders from across the country,” Desien said. “I respect the compassion, energy, experience and tenacity of all our leaders, associates and clinicians. Together, they will continue to address the many challenges and opportunities Ministry will face as part of Ascension Wisconsin in this new era of healthcare to continue the work started by the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother over 125 years ago.”
A national search for his replacement as Ascension Ministry Market Executive for Wisconsin is under way and an interim leader will be named in December.
