CINCINNATI AND AKRON – Mercy Health and Summa Health, two Ohio health systems dedicated to transforming healthcare for patients and communities, are jointly creating Advanced Health Select (AHS), the largest clinically integrated network in Ohio, it was announced Nov. 30.
Mercy Health Select and NewHealth Collaborative, the accountable care organizations operated by Mercy and Summa, will be the first provider networks to join Advanced Health Select. They will continue to provide the outstanding care within their local markets – including Clark and Champaign counties and surrounding areas – guided by their distinct mission and vision. But now more than 2,800 providers in Ohio and Kentucky will all be linked in a single “network of networks” to improve chronic care management and lower the total cost of care for patients and communities.
“Combining the strengths of Mercy Health Select and NewHealth Collaborative puts us at the forefront of healthcare transformation,” said Michael D. Connelly, president and chief executive officer of Mercy Health, Ohio’s largest healthcare system. “Together, we will provide patients with the same quality care they always have received from us, but also optimize cutting-edge services such as care coordination and advanced data analytics to improve that care. Together, we are confident that we will improve the lives of our patients and improve the health of the communities we serve.”
By investing more than $100 million over three years in Advanced Health Select, Mercy Health and Summa Health are creating solutions that include care coordination at every point in a patient’s healthcare journey. Advanced data analytics and technology support will make it more sustainable, efficient and effective than other partnerships around the country.
Advanced Health Select is positioned to grow. Employers, insurers and health systems looking for more value from their healthcare investment will benefit from the services provided to them by Advanced Health Select, as well as the opportunity to partner with Ohio’s leading provider networks to make patients’ lives better and improve the health of Ohio communities. For communities, Advanced Health Select will offer a new approach to healthcare embracing the “Triple Aim” – better care and better community health, at lower cost.
NewHealth Collaborative and Mercy Health Select have proven that they can integrate care to provide better quality at lower cost. They were the only two ACOs in Ohio to achieve shared savings for Medicare under the Medicare Shared Savings Program in 2014. Combined, they saved more than $25 million for the Medicare program while improving care quality for more than 100,000 patients in Ohio.
“Advanced Health Select will benefit patients across Ohio and in Kentucky by giving them an integrated network of physicians and support that will improve their overall health,” said Mark Terpylak, DO, president of NewHealth Collaborative. “We are thrilled to be in partnership with Mercy Health, Ohio’s largest healthcare provider, and we believe providers across Ohio and Kentucky, and their patients, will benefit from joining our clinically integrated network.
Dr. Brent Asplin, chief clinical officer at Mercy Health and co-president of Mercy Health Select, will serve as president of Advanced Health Select. Dr. Terpylak also will serve as a founding member of the Board of Managers.
About Mercy Health/Mercy Health Select:
Mercy Health (formerly Catholic Health Partners) is the largest health system in Ohio and one of the largest health systems in the United States, employing more than 32,000 employees in Ohio and Kentucky. With $6 billion in assets, Mercy Health operates about 450 health facilities, including 23 hospitals, eight senior living communities, five hospice programs and seven home health agencies. Its accountable care organization, Mercy Health Select, is one of the top 10 ACOs in the country for Medicare Shared Savings, generating more than $15 million in savings in 2014. Truven Health Analytics (formerly Thomson Reuters) consistently rates Mercy Health among the nation’s top health systems for clinical quality and efficiency. In keeping with its mission, Mercy Health provides about $1 million per day in community benefit services. Mercy Health’s bonds are rated AA- by Standard & Poor’s and Fitch, and A1 by Moody’s. Mercy Health is a founding member of Health Innovations Ohio, which focuses on providing health services that result in higher quality, better health and greater value. For more information, visit www.mercy.com or connect with Mercy Health on Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest and Twitter (@LivingMercyHlth).
About Summa Health
Summa Health is one of the largest integrated healthcare delivery systems in Ohio. Encompassing a network of hospitals, community health centers, a health plan, a physician-hospital organization, a multi-specialty physician organization, research and the Summa Foundation, Summa is nationally renowned for excellence in patient care and for exceptional approaches to healthcare delivery. Summa’s clinical services are consistently recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (Magnet status), U.S. News and World Report, Thomson Reuters and The Leapfrog Group. For more information, visit www.summahealth.org or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/summahealth and Twitter, www.twitter.com/summahealth.
