Wellvana has struck a 20-year affiliation with Mercy that will offer the system’s nonemployed primary care physicians and advanced practice providers participation in value-based care.
The arrangement will give those independent clinicians access to Wellvana’s electronic-health-record-integrated practice tools and clinical and operational care teams, which the new partners say will reduce administrative burdens and help coordinate patient care.
The providers’ participation in value-based arrangements will also bring financial incentives for better patient outcomes within Mercy’s service area and across Medicare, Medicare Advantage and commercial plans, they said. The organizations expect their clinically integrated network to be among the country’s largest.
“Mercy has built one of the nation’s most respected systems, and together we’re creating sustainable paths for independent providers to see the rewards of accountable care,” Wellvana CEO Susan Diamond said in Thursday’s announcement. “The more we grow participation in value-based care, the more patients and communities benefit from a better, more connected health experience.”
Mercy is a Midwest nonprofit with more than $10 billion in annual operating revenue, 55 hospitals and over 1,000 physician practice locations and outpatient facilities. It also intends to lend its population health infrastructure to the value-based care program, which would support data-driven insights for participating practitioners.
Wellvana, founded in 2019, has similar arrangements with other health systems contributing to its 40-state, 800,000-patient-plus scope.
The company said its accountable care organization participants generated more than $337 million across 2024 and that its flagship ACO’s savings outpaced all other Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) ACOs. Also of note, it acquired CVS Health’s MSSP program business back in March.
“We believe the future of health care belongs to models that reward positive health outcomes through partnership,” Steve Mackin, Mercy president and CEO, said in the announcement. “By teaming up with Wellvana, we’re giving even more physicians the tools and support they need to provide more proactive, coordinated care, helping to expand access to the kind of care that aims to keep patients healthy and out of the hospital. When we do that well, patients, doctors and communities all win.”
The organizations said they plan to hold information and networking events for independent providers in Mercy’s markets interested in participating.