Interview with Villis Vikmanis

Abstract

Villis Vikmanis begins his interview with an overview of his education and career. He then reviews in more detail his work for the State, including all of the following: his work in the Budget Division and with Richard Fitzsimons; family practitioners in Minnesota; state funding for the Mayo Medical School; the Legislature's provision of funds for building in the Health Sciences at the University; the power of rural legislators in the State; the need for rural primary care physicians; and his work as coordinator of Executive Affairs in Governor Albert Quie's office. Mr. Vikmanis then discusses all of the following topics in relation to his work at the University: consulting on the University's Cost Containment Taskforce; cost concerns for the Hospital; his work on the Board of Governors for the Hospital from 1984 to 1998; relations between University Hospital and affiliated hospitals; his responsibility for space allocation; lobbying the Legislature; Neal Vanselow's tenure as vice president of the AHC; the leadership of Cherie Perlmutter, Robert Anderson, and William Brody; problems with the ALG program; and the decision to sell the hospital to Fairview. He concludes by reviewing additional key figures in the history of the AHC.