Aurora Health Care's history

Aurora Health Care's integration as a not-for-profit system began in 1984 when two Milwaukee hospitals, St. Luke's Medical Center and Good Samaritan Medical Center, joined to become St. Luke's Samaritan Health Care. It was the first health care system in Milwaukee to be created through the affiliation of two formerly independent hospitals. St. Luke's Samaritan Health Care adopted the name Aurora Health Care in 1987 after a merger between Mount Sinai Medical Center and nearby Good Samaritan Medical Center.

In the years that followed, other health care organizations joined Aurora as their leaders sought better ways to provide care. Aurora's leaders eventually were able to assemble a health system that included primary and specialty care, clinics, hospitals, home care, social services, pharmacies and more -- as Aurora grew to serve patients throughout eastern Wisconsin.

Milestones

1988: The Visiting Nurse Association of Milwaukee, the state's oldest and largest home care agency, joins Aurora.

1990: Aurora establishes its first primary care clinic. Today, Aurora Medical Group has more than 700 primary care physicians and specialists practicing at clinics throughout eastern Wisconsin.

1992: Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center in Sheboygan and Valley View Medical Center in Plymouth join Aurora, beginning a period of rapid growth that saw Aurora extend its service area across eastern Wisconsin.

1992: Aurora opens its first retail pharmacy and encourages pharmacists to play a key role in patient care. There are now more than 115 Aurora Pharmacy sites.

1993: Milwaukee Psychiatric Hospital, a leading provider of psychiatric and addiction treatment services in the Milwaukee area, joins Aurora as Aurora Psychiatric Hospital.

1993: The Burlington Clinic joins Aurora.

1993: Hartford Memorial Hospital joins Aurora. Today, the hospital is known as Aurora Medical Center in Hartford.

1993: Two Rivers Community Hospital joins Aurora.

1995: Aurora establishes its care management program, an ambitious effort to improve the quality of care. Today Aurora has been recognized nationally as being a leader in quality care.

1995: West Allis Memorial Hospital joins Aurora. In 2008, it is renamed Aurora West Allis Medical Center.

1995: Family Service of Milwaukee, the state's oldest and largest social service agency serving families, joins Aurora and becomes Aurora Family Service.

1995: Lakeland Medical Center in Elkhorn joins Aurora. Today, it is known as Aurora Lakeland Medical Center.

1995: Catholic Health Corp. transfers ownership of Trinity Memorial Hospital in Cudahy to Aurora's St. Luke's Medical Center. Today the hospital is known as St. Luke's South Shore.

1996: Memorial Hospital of Burlington joins Aurora. Today, the hospital is known as Aurora Memorial Hospital of Burlington.

February 1999: Aurora Medical Center in Kenosha, the first hospital built by Aurora, opens on Kenosha's west side.

April 2000: Aurora and Advocate Health Care of suburban Chicago combine their laboratory operations under a single management team, and ACL Labs is formed.

June 2000: Aurora Medical Center in Two Rivers, a new hospital on the shore of Lake Michigan, opens to replace the aging Two Rivers Community Hospital.

September 2000: Aurora Sinai Medical Center in Milwaukee becomes home to the Regional Parkinson Center, providing outpatient care as well as education, referral and support related to Parkinson's disease. Aurora Sinai also opens Wisconsin's first Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) unit.

November 2000: Aurora takes over the health care delivery system of Family Health Plan Cooperative, adding the Family Health Plan clinics in the Milwaukee area to Aurora Medical Group.

September 2001: Aurora BayCare Medical Center, a new regional tertiary hospital, opens in Green Bay. The medical center is a joint venture of Aurora and BayCare Clinic, a group of Green Bay-based specialists.

December 2001: Aurora Medical Group receives an Acclaim Award from the American Medical Group Association in recognition of its physicians' work in managing cholesterol levels in patients with coronary artery disease.

January 2002: The physicians of Aurora Medical Group in Oshkosh announce plans to build a new community hospital to serve the people of Oshkosh and surrounding communities. The hospital opens in fall 2003.

April 2002: The Aurora Women's Pavilion, the first medical facility in Wisconsin built solely to meet the needs of women, opens on the campus of West Allis Memorial Hospital.

July 2002: Aurora and two partners announce a groundbreaking, large-scale application of genetic medicine to cardiovascular care. The program uses genetic data to develop unique, individualized patient care plans designed to prevent the occurrence or advancement of cardiovascular disease.

October 2002: Aurora receives the 2002 Governor's Diamond Award, which honors businesses and organizations that have made efforts to provide women and people of color with opportunities in upper management and other key decision-making roles.

December 2002: Aurora announces its three-part commitment to control health care costs, becoming the only provider in Wisconsin to commit to keeping rate increases below the medical Consumer Price Index.

October 2003: Aurora opens the Aurora Medical Center in Oshkosh, a new state-of-the-art digital hospital.

December 2003: Aurora's web service that offers personalized patient service, receives national recognition. “My Aurora” is named the "best in class" by Greystone, a leading national health care Internet company.

January 2004: Aurora is named the 2004 recipient of the Pathfinder Award for the Aurora Leadership Academy. The Pathfinder Award is given by Professional Dimensions, a professional organization for women, for programs that promote diversity.

March 2004: Aurora announces a new approach for treating common family illnesses with the introduction of Aurora QuickCare clinics. Aurora is the first health system in the nation to open the convenience care clinics that offer fast, convenient and affordable services for basic health needs.

September 2004: Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center receives the Consumer Choice Award based on feedback regarding overall quality and image from over 400,000 consumers in 48 states. This is the sixth consecutive year St. Luke's received the award.

November 2004: Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center is named one of the nation's top cardiovascular hospitals by Solucient. Hospital performances are evaluated in areas that include volumes, mortality, complications, length of stay and costs.

January 2005: Aurora launches a new life-saving approach for intensive care units that is the first of its kind in Wisconsin. Aurora eICU Care uses telemedicine technology, including early warning software and advanced video and electronic monitoring, to connect off-site critical care specialists to ICU patients. Aurora eICU allows intensive care specialists with advanced technology to work with bedside staff to offer an unprecedented level of care that saves lives and saves costs.

March 2005: The Aurora VNA Zilber Family Hospice is dedicated in Wauwatosa. The 18-bed hospice residence establishes a new era in end-of-life care. A $1 million gift from the Joseph Zilber Family helps to finance the unique hospice.

April 2005: Nurses at Aurora Health Care receive national Magnet Certification, the highest honor given by the American Nursing Credentialing Center. Aurora nurses also received this honor in 2001.

July 2005: Hospitals and Health Networks Magazine names Aurora to the 100 Most Wired list for the second consecutive year. The awards are based on health systems' use of information technology.

December 2005: The Aurora web site, www.AuroraHealthCare.org receives national honors from Greystone.Net and eHealth Care Leadership Awards in the category of best overall web site.

March 2006: American Medical Group Association honors Aurora Medical Group with the Preeminence Award for excellence in quality, service and innovation.

May 2006: Aurora Health Care is one of 15 health care organizations nationwide selected to help shape the future of U.S. health care. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality names Aurora one of a select few systems to be eligible for conducting governmental research so that results can be brought to patients.

August 2006: Hospitals and Health Networks Magazine names Aurora among the 100 Most Wired health systems for the third consecutive year. Awards are based on the use of information technology.

May 2007: Aurora breaks ground on new medical center in the Town of Summit in western Waukesha County. The 110-bed hospital and clinic is cited by town leaders as a tremendous addition for the gateway to the community. The medical center is scheduled to open in 2010.

June 2007: Aurora Health Care sets the national standard for health care quality when The Premier Healthcare Alliance, a national alliance of 1,700 not-for-profit hospitals and health systems, recognizes Aurora with eight Premier Awards for Quality. Aurora's awards are the most one health system has ever received in one year.

June 2007: Aurora BayCare Medical Center announces plans to add a medical office building that will feature an athletic enhancement and lifestyle center.

July 2007: Hospitals and Health Networks Magazine names Aurora 100 Most Wired for the fourth consecutive year.

July 2007: Aurora and Advanced Healthcare, one of the largest independent physician groups, announce an agreement where the 250 physicians of Advanced will affiliate with Aurora. It is an affiliation designed to enhance care for patients and better serve the community. Additionally, plans to build a new regional medical center in Ozaukee County are announced. The hospital and clinics are scheduled to open at the intersection of Highway 60 and Port Washington Road in Grafton in 2010.

July 2007: Aurora Health Care announces an affiliation agreement with EMPEC, a Milwaukee-based emergency physician group that staffs the emergency department at Aurora Sinai Medical Center and Aurora's urgent care sites in Waterford, Oconomowoc, New Berlin, Franklin and downtown Milwaukee.

August 2007: Aurora Medical Center in Two Rivers is named among the nation's top performance improvement leaders in the 2006 Thomson 100 Top Hospitals. Those named set national benchmarks for the rate and consistency of improvement in clinical outcomes, safety, hospital efficiency, financial stability and growth.

August 2007: The Joseph Zilber family announces an additional $1.5 million donation to the Aurora Visiting Nurse Association.

October 2007: Aurora Family Service hosts a groundbreaking community forum on race relations to mark its 125th anniversary. The event has since been held annually in Milwaukee.

October 2007: Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center is honored by the Premier Healthcare Alliance with the 2007 Premier | CareScience Select Practice National Quality Award for superior patient outcomes. The hospital is among the top 1 percent in quality and efficiency of patient care

December 2007: Aurora Health Care receives national recognition from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices for its initiative focused on medication safety in medical clinics.

December 2007: Aurora BayCare becomes the first Wisconsin hospital to use the advanced breast cancer treatment known as SAVITM, a radiation applicator able to target designated areas. The process conserves the breast while limiting damage to nearby healthy tissue.

February 2008: Aurora Pharmacy is honored as the Good Government Award recipient from the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin.

February 2008: Radiology Associates of Milwaukee join Aurora Medical Group, adding 28 radiologists.

March 2008: The American Stroke Association honors Aurora BayCare Medical Center with a Get with the Guidelines Silver Performance award, recognizing BayCare's care of stroke patients.

March 2008: Thomson Healthcare names Aurora West Allis Memorial Hospital and Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center to its 100 Top Hospitals list.

April 2008: Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center installs a new 52-foot-long, 66-ton hyperbaric chamber. The chamber, used primarily to treat difficult wounds and carbon monoxide poisoning, is the second largest in the U.S. and the largest in Wisconsin. It can treat up to 24 patients at one time.

May 2008: Aurora St. Luke's open two retail stores to serve patients' medical and convenience needs. The stores are designed to ease patients and families stress as they leave the hospital by offering key medical items needed for home care and recovery.

June 2008: Aurora Health Care is honored by Premier Healthcare Alliance for Exceptional Supply Chain Innovation. The award recognizes successful innovations that create new levels of performance and competitive advantage while improving patient care and safety reducing costs.

June 2008: Aurora Health Care is the top-performing health system in the nation in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration project. Aurora's hospitals earn top marks in 40 of the 47 quality areas measured, the most of any system.

July 2008: The American Heart Association honors Aurora BayCare Medical Center with a Get With The Guidelines-Coronary Artery Disease Silver Performance Achievement Award.

July 2008: Aurora St. Luke's is named to U.S. News & World Report's 2008 America's Best Hospitals list.

July 2008: Hospitals and Health Networks Magazine names Aurora to the 100 Most Wired list for the fifth consecutive year.

July 2008: The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association recognizes Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center for its performance in treating cardiac and stroke patients. Aurora St. Luke's is one of only 26 hospitals across the country to receive this recognition.

July 2008: Aurora St. Luke's announces a rooftop healing garden project. The Vince Lombardi Charitable Funds Healing Garden and the Agnes and Morland Hamilton Healing Conservatory are scheduled to open in early-summer 2009.

August 2008: Thomson Reuters names Aurora hospitals in West Allis, Green Bay and Two Rivers as 100 Top Hospitals. The award recognizes the best performers of more than 2,800 U.S. hospitals in terms of their clinical, financial, operational and patient safety results.

August 2008: Commonwealth Medical Group Physicians join Aurora Health Care.

September 2008: Aurora Health Care receives accreditation from the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs. Aurora is the first health care system in Wisconsin to actively seek this accreditation.

October 2008: The largest cardiology group in Wisconsin, Comprehensive Cardiovascular Care Group, joins Aurora Health Care.

October 2008: Kradwell School receives the national Planetree Healthy Communities award. Planetree is a non-profit organization that focuses on the patient experience in health care.

October 2008: Modern Healthcare Magazine names Aurora Health Care one of the 100 Best Places to Work in Health Care.

November 2008: Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center is named one of the Top 100 Hospitals for Heart Care by Thomson Reuters.

December 2008: The 33 members of Great Lakes Radiologists, one of the largest radiology practices in southeastern Wisconsin, announce they will join Aurora Medical Group.

January 2009: Northern Lake Medical Ltd., a primary care practice with clinics in three northern Illinois communities, announces it will join Aurora Health Care.

February 2009: Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center is named one of the "2009 Top 100 Hospitals to Work For" by Nursing Professionals magazine.

March 2009: Aurora West Allis Medical Center and Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center are recognized with the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals National Benchmark Award and the Thomson Reuters Everest Award for National Benchmarks. This is the second consecutive year that both hospitals are named to the 100 Top Hospitals list.

March 2009: Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center is named one of the 126 best hospitals in the nation by AARP.

April 2009: Aurora breast centers are the first in the state to be recognized by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. The accredited facilities are at Aurora BayCare Medical Center in Green Bay. Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center, Aurora Sinai Medical Center, Aurora West Allis Medical Center and Aurora Medical Center Oshkosh.