HOUGHTON - For Chuck Nelson, making the Medical Arts Health Care Center in Houghton part of the Aspirus Keweenaw Hospital system was good business and a way to expand the service it offers the community.

Nelson, AKH CEO, said the hospital acquired the clinic about six months ago.

"We took over that operation in the middle of October last year," he said.

The clinic, now called Aspirus Medical Arts, has two doctors, a nurse practitioner and a total of 26 employees, Nelson said.

Patients at the clinic were not disrupted by the change, Nelson said.

"For the most part, it's been transparent to the patients," he said.

For the owner of the clinic, Nelson said establishing the relationship with AKH provided an economic benefit by increasing purchasing power and improving employee benefits.

"It's been a great experience for those folks," he said. "It's been driven on our part (by our desire) to have more physicians in the area."

Greg Aune, Aspirus media communications specialist in Wausau, Wis., said the health care organization has clinics, such as the Aspirus Keweenaw Medical Arts, in more than 30 communities in Michigan and Wisconsin.

The announcement about the change at the Medical Arts Center was made in July 2008, Nelson said, and the result has been very good so far.

"It's been very positive for our organization," he said. "It's been very positive for the community."

Kurt Hauglie can be reached at khauglie@mininggazette.com.