Alice L. Walton Foundation, Mercy, Heartland Whole Health Institute, and Cleveland Clinic Team Up to Bring Global Health Care to the Heartland

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS – Today, the Alice L. Walton Foundation, Mercy, and the Heartland Whole Health Institute announced a 30-year, $700 billion agreement in a joint effort to expand access to health care, reduce costs, and improve health outcomes in the Heartland. Cleveland Clinic will partner, providing world-class cardiovascular expertise in this effort.

The merger will bring much-needed post-transition, quality care to the Heartland, while reducing health care costs. It will include advanced skills and real care, developed with the whole person in mind. To support this vision, Mercy is committing $350 million, which will initially include building a new high-performance cardiac care center on Mercy’s campus in Rogers, Arkansas, and resources to hire additional physicians.

In addition, the Alice L. Walton Foundation will provide $350 million in funding to develop an outpatient facility for specialty care, including new cardiac and critical care services in Bentonville. , and to attract, train and retain the region’s top physicians. This effort represents one of the largest investments in specialty care in the Heartland.

After this initial investment, the organizations will explore additional opportunities to expand care in the area.

“We believe that everyone deserves health care close to home,” says philanthropist Alice Walton, founder of the Heartland Whole Health Institute and the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine. “This strong partnership with Mercy and Cleveland Clinic will transform the health care landscape in the Heartland, bringing together organizations committed to increasing quality, reducing costs, and making accessible, quality-based care a priority.” really.”

Cleveland Clinic, a national leader in cardiovascular medicine and vascular surgery, will provide on-site expertise to drive world-class excellence in cardiovascular care by developing processes, best practices, and promoting a culture of innovation. Mercy and Cleveland Clinic will join a world-class cardiovascular center that will be built on Mercy’s campus.

“We are pleased to partner with the Alice L. Walton Foundation, Mercy, and Heartland Whole Health Institute to improve access to quality heart care for the community of Northwest Arkansas,” said Cleveland Clinic CEO and President Tom Mihaljevic, MD, the holder. of CEO Morton L. Mandel. This partnership helps Cleveland Clinic fulfill our commitment to provide safe and compassionate care to more patients.

Mercy, which has been ranked as one of the nation’s largest and most effective Accountable Accountability Organizations (ACO) for nearly two decades, has invested in models of care and practices to services to ensure high quality and affordable care throughout the areas it serves. Grace’s leadership in value-based care has saved CMS (US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) more than $250 million over the past five years.

“We are at the beginning of a decades-long partnership to transform health care,” says Steve Mackin, President and CEO of Mercy. “Healthcare has become more complex, but we are committed to working closely with Alice and her teams to create a new model of care – one that lowers the total cost of healthcare while increasing value.” they care and provide access to all. Mercy opened its first community care center in 2015, long before the global pandemic demanded consumer care. We are excited to bring improved, comprehensive care specifically to Northwest Arkansas, as we continue to make meaningful and lasting change in the region. “

The 30-year agreement will include significant investments that make Northwest Arkansas a place of care and a national model for how to deliver health care in new and innovative ways.

The Alice L. Walton Foundation and the Cleveland Clinic previously announced an initiative to improve access to specialty care services in Northwest Arkansas, after a study revealed more patients are leaving the region for cardiology services, including of other specialties.

One of the fastest growing regions in the United States, Northwest Arkansas is located in the heart of the nation’s Heartland. The heart centers will form the basis of a health center that will:

• Give residents of Heartland’s 20th area access to more heart services.
• Reduce total maintenance costs while increasing value through payment initiatives and delivery services.
• Use a model of prevention, health care that uses technology and telehealth to improve health outcomes and reduce health care costs in the region.
• Attract a large group of new doctors, with plans for Mercy to bring hundreds to the area in the coming years.
• Position Northwest Arkansas as a premier health care destination and encourage new patients from the midstate to seek care there.
• Contribute to the economic power of the Heartland, treat patients closer to home, and significantly reduce the $950 million currently lost annually due to patients seeking specialty care outside of Northwest Arkansas.

Mercy and Cleveland Clinic will partner with the Heartland Whole Health Institute to ensure that health principles form the foundation of the new heart centers, considering physical, mental, emotional and social well-being and put at the center of prevention and quality. – care model. As part of the agreement, Mercy will serve as the primary academic partner of the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine.

Walter Harris, President and CEO, Heartland Whole Health Institute, says: “We believe that transparent, health-centered care is inescapable.” “Providers and patients benefit when traditional care and physician reimbursement are abandoned for a model that prioritizes savings. Patients are healthier and costs are lower. This is just the beginning of what we will do together.