ROGERS -- Mercy Health leaders are again asking for community input as they outline new priorities and set goals.
Three years ago Sisters of Mercy Health System pledged to invest $90 million in the local system following a community input session.
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Sisters Of Mercy
Sisters of Mercy Health System has headquarters in St. Louis. It operates a hospital in Rogers and 23 clinics across Northwest Arkansas. Two more clinics are set to open later this year. The health system has hospitals and clinics in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma and outreach ministries in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Mercy includes 32 acute care hospitals, four heart hospitals, two children’s hospitals, three rehab hospitals, one orthopedic hospital and nearly 700 clinic and outpatient facilities.
Source: mercy.net
"We already spent it and I think we spent a little more," Eric Pianalto, president of Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas, told a group of about 50 Mercy and community leaders Thursday night at a roundtable discussion at the John Q. Hammons Center.
Goals outlined in the 2011 plan included a multi-specialty clinic in Bella Vista, a multi-provider care office in downtown Rogers and a build-out of the hospital's seventh floor to add services.
The Bella Vista clinic opened in December and Mercy broke ground on a 7,500-square-foot clinic in downtown Rogers in April. Mercy is also building a clinic in Centerton. Both are slated to open in September or October.
A Senior Behavioral Health Program started on the hospital's seventh floor a year ago.
Attendees to this year's input session talked broadly about access to care and community outreach but didn't form any specific goals.
"I don't think we heard anything tonight that is not on our radar screen, but we did hear about areas people would like to see growth," Pianalto said.
Health education geared to children is one area he said he would like to see grow.
Pianalto said Mercy Northwest Arkansas will continue to grow, but maybe not at as fast of a pace as the past five years.
Dr. Steve Goss, president of Mercy Clinic Northwest Arkansas, said between 2009 and 2014 the system added 38 physicians, opened three clinics and saw patient clinic visits grow by almost 100,000.
Lynn Britton, Sisters of Mercy Health System president and chief executive officer, said this round of community discussions started last fall and Northwest Arkansas is the final meeting. He said he attended all 34 meetings. A new report should be released next year, he said.
"We listen intently and will do everything we can to meet the community needs," he said. "It's in our DNA."
Mike McCurry, Mercy Health's chief operating officer, said the system is working hard to meet those needs while facing strong headwind.
"Health care margins are razor thin for everyone," he said, pointing to a 2 percent Medicare reduction that could cost the system $100 million this year.
Patients with higher deductibles are also putting off treatment or are receiving charity care from the nonprofit hospital system, McCurry said.
"It's a growing number for us and creates additional health problems down the road," he said of people with insurance that still can't afford care.
Earlier this month Mercy announced it was laying off up to 300 people across four states, mostly in support positions. A handful of positions were cut in Northwest Arkansas.
McCurry said Mercy is looking for new revenue streams and anticipates a new $50 million virtual care center near its St. Louis headquarters is one option. The system broke ground on the facility in May and it will serve as a hub for its more than 75 telemedicine programs.
Telemedicine is the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients by using telecommunications technology.
"We will continue to be a ministry that thrives on this journey in transforming health care," Pianalto said of the Catholic nonprofit hospital.
NW News on 06/27/2014