Rich Donkle retired from the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative (RWHC) on December 31, 2015. He joined the staff of the RWHC in 1996 after 17 years of being a consultant to the organization. RWHC was formed in 1979 to help rural hospitals provide services to their communities. Since that time, RWHC has grown in the provision of services and as an advocate for community based health services. RWHC is committed to the provision of quality, affordable and accessible health care throughout Wisconsin. Donkle’s duties at RWHC included:
- General financial consultation to member hospitals
- Education and training for board members and management
- Consultation and preparation of Medicare cost reports
- Consultation and training regarding Medicare’s outpatient prospective payment system
- Consultation regarding geriatric psychiatric and skilled nursing facilities
- Negotiation of managed care contracts
- Assistance with debt acquisition and covenant compliance
- Development of a corporate compliance guide for small hospitals
- Corporate compliance officer
Prior to joining the Cooperative, he was a partner with a national CPA firm. He has been involved in the healthcare industry since 1974. Donkle earned his bachelor of business administration degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He became a CPA in Wisconsin in 1975.
Donkle is on the board of directors of the HIPAA Collaborative of Wisconsin and was one of the founding members of that organization. He also served on the board of Access Community Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Health Center in Madison and currently serves on the finance committee. He previously served on the board of Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin.
He is a Life Member of the Wisconsin Chapter of the Health Care Financial Management Association (HFMA), and is a past president of the Chapter. Donkle also served as Chapter Liaison Representative to the national organization. In addition, he is a past member of the HFMA Compliance Forum Advisory Council. He is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He has also conducted sessions on health care financial management at national, state and local seminars.