Transforming Health Care: Mercy and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

As the nation’s sixth largest Catholic health care provider, Mercy has always worked to meet the health care needs in the communities where it serves regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. Today’s Supreme Court decision related to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will complement that mission. 

“The Supreme Court decision to uphold the entire Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act validates what Mercy has been doing all along,” said Lynn Britton, Mercy president/CEO.  “The founding of Mercy was based on the availability of health care for all – especially the poor and underserved. We look forward to working with state and federal government leaders on building and implementing a model to care for the most vulnerable members of our society.” 

Mercy has been in the process of transforming the delivery of health care for a decade. Many of Mercy’s initiatives are core parts of the Affordable Care Act. These include:

• Streamlining the care process with the help of electronic medical records.
• Improving access to specialists through telemedicine.
• Structuring new organizations through integration with physicians.
• Focusing on the patient in coordinating care across the spectrum of health providers and settings.
• Improving efficiency through supply chain management.

It will take time to fully assess all of the implications of this important decision; however, Mercy has been preparing for and working toward health care reform for a long time and will continue to do so.