Sanford Health and Marshfield Clinic are in talks to combine, aiming to create a giant rural health system with 56 hospitals and 56,000 workers. Both systems announced Wednesday plans to combine, creating an integrated health system in the rural Midwest. Sanford Health seeks to overcome a series of failed deals by acquiring the $3 billion Wisconsin health system, Marshfield Clinic. This development is part of a broader trend of rural hospital networks gaining momentum.