Nomi Health is teaming with Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica for the latest expansion of its direct network.
The company said in an announcement that the partnership will allow employers in northwest Ohio and southwest Michigan to tap into its direct contracting option, an alternative to traditional health plans that enables them to offer $0 out-of-pocket medical coverage to workers and their employees.
Mark Newman, CEO and founder of Nomi, told Fierce Healthcare that the region is a natural fit in its broader focus on middle America, from the Sun Belt to the Rust Belt to the Midwest. He added that health systems like ProMedica are seeing the positive momentum from Nomi's early adopters and jumping into the program.
"Other health systems are like, 'Hey, I might not have been one to be the early adopter, but I'd like to be kind of a fast follower, and come in and do this,'" Newman said.
Through the partnership, employers that opt in will be able to provide care for $0 out of pocket across ProMedica's 10 hospitals and other sites of care. The model allows for broad access to a variety of service lines including emergency care, behavioral health, cardiology, oncology, orthopedics and women's health.
Contracting directly with the health system reduces administrative complexity for an employer and eliminates the more traditional intermediaries. Nomi's model also ensures that payments to the health system are expedited, the company said in the announcement.
The partnership comes as employers face significant and rising healthcare costs. A recent study from KFF found that average family premiums reached $26,993 in 2025, an increase of 6%. Employers themselves have said in multiple recent polls that they're bracing for costs to continue to escalate in 2026.
Newman said part of why the Midwest makes for an appealing market with this backdrop is that these regions, hit hard by the degradation of manufacturing industries, are seeing a resurgence. And many of the local businesses are family-owned and are looking to find new and better ways to support workers.
"They look at it and say, 'I want to raise my hand, because I want to change things for the people that work for me,'" Newman said.
He compared the company's expansion to a game of Risk, carefully choosing where to move the game pieces into new parts of the map.
For ProMedica, meanwhile, the partnership opens the door to find new ways to continue to reach people in the communities they serve, according to the announcement.
"This collaboration aligns with ProMedica's commitment to removing barriers to care," said Don Pirc, vice president of managed care at ProMedica, in the release. "By working with Nomi Health, we're helping to ensure that the communities we serve have options for accessing the comprehensive, compassionate care they deserve."