BENTONVILLE -- A multiyear, multimillion-dollar partnership aims to expand access to health care and improve health outcomes in the region while bringing down costs.
The Alice L. Walton Foundation, Mercy, Heartland Whole Health Institute and Cleveland Clinic announced the 30-year, $700 million affiliation agreement in a news release Tuesday.
In addition to bringing down costs, the affiliation aims to provide access to cutting-edge specialties and virtual care developed with the whole person in mind, the release states.
"We believe that everyone deserves quality whole health care closer to home," said Alice Walton, founder of Heartland Whole Health Institute and the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine. "This powerful collaboration with Mercy and Cleveland Clinic will change the health care landscape in the Heartland, bringing together organizations that are dedicated to increasing quality, reducing costs and making accessible, value-based care a reality."
Mercy is committing $350 million to the effort, which will include initially building a new cardiac care center on Mercy's campus in Rogers and providing resources for additional physician recruitment.
The Alice L. Walton Foundation will provide $350 million, in part to develop an outpatient center for specialty care, including new cardiac services and virtual care in Bentonville, and to attract, train and retain top physicians for the region.
Following the initial investments, the organizations will explore additional opportunities to expand care in the region.
Cleveland Clinic, a national leader in cardiology and heart and vascular surgery, will provide on-site expertise in cardiovascular care by establishing processes and best practices and fostering a culture of innovation, according to the release.
"This collaboration helps Cleveland Clinic fulfill our commitment to provide safe, compassionate care for more patients," Cleveland Clinic CEO and President Tom Mihaljevic said.
Steve Mackin, Mercy's president and CEO, said the partnership fits in with the health system's other efforts to expand access to care while reducing costs. Mercy opened the first virtual care center in the nation in 2015, long before a worldwide covid pandemic demanded virtual care for consumers, he said.
"We are at the beginning of a decades-long relationship to transform health care," Mackin said. "Health care has become increasingly complex, but we are committed to working closely with Alice and her teams to innovate a new model of care -- one that reduces the total cost of health care while increasing the quality of care and providing access for all."
The Alice L. Walton Foundation and Cleveland Clinic previously announced an initiative to enhance access to specialty care services in Northwest Arkansas, following a study that revealed many patients leave the region for cardiology services, among other specialties.
"The Northwest Arkansas Council's 2019 study revealed that residents often had to leave the region for specialty care, impacting families and the local economy," said Nelson Peacock, president and CEO of the Northwest Arkansas Council. "Over the past five years, the region's health care systems made significant strides in addressing these challenges."
Peacock said the new partnership will build on those efforts.
The 30-year agreement will include investments aimed at making Northwest Arkansas a destination for care and a national example of how to provide health care in new and innovative ways, according to the release.
The cardiac centers will form the foundation of a health hub that will:
Provide residents in the 20-state Heartland region access to a comprehensive spectrum of cardiac services.
Reduce total cost of care while increasing quality through payment initiatives and delivery services.
Deploy a model of preventative, whole health care that leverages technology and telehealth to improve health outcomes and reduce health care costs for the region.
Attract a large group of new physicians with plans for Mercy to bring hundreds of physicians to the region in the coming years.
Position Northwest Arkansas as a premier health care destination and encourage new patients from the middle of the country to seek care in the region.
Contribute to the region's economic strength, treat patients closer to home and significantly reduce the $950 million currently lost annually due to patients seeking specialty care outside Northwest Arkansas.
Whole health principles will form the foundation of the new cardiac centers, considering patients' physical, mental, emotional and social well-being, according to the release.
As part of the agreement, Mercy will serve as the primary educational partner for Alice L. Walton School of Medicine.
"We believe that transparent, wellness-oriented care is nonnegotiable," said Walter Harris, president and CEO of Heartland Whole Health Institute. "Providers and patients alike benefit when the traditional approach to care and physician reimbursement is abandoned for a model that prioritizes keeping patients healthy and costs down. This is just the beginning of what we will accomplish together."