Q: Where did you go to college/graduate school?
I attended St. Louis College of Pharmacy now known as University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis and attended Webster University out of St. Louis for my MBA.
Q: Where do you live?
I live in Marshfield Missouri.
Q: If a friend came to visit you in your hometown, where would you take them? Where would you take them in your state?
The Ozarks have some scenic areas to visit. We would have to end up on a kayak trip down one of the scenic riverways. If it’s during baseball season, we would have to head to St. Louis for some lunch on The Hill and a Cardinals baseball game.
Q: Tell us about your health care facility.
Mercy Health System, based out of St. Louis Missouri, consists of 30 hospitals (acute care and critical access), 12 Specialty Care hospitals with over 3,000 staffed inpatient beds. Mercy employs 2,400+ physicians with 40,000 co-workers in Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas.
Mission Statement: As the Sisters of Mercy before us, we bring to life the healing ministry of Jesus through our compassionate care and exceptional service.
The mission statement of Mercy is an inspiring reminder of our calling. It also unites and directs activities across our entire health and human services ministry. We are the people of Mercy Health Ministry. Together, we are pioneering a new model of care. We will relentlessly pursue our goal to get health care right. Everywhere and every way that Mercy serves, we will deliver a transformative health experience.
Dignity is a key value in Mercy’s work. Like the Sisters of Mercy, we strive to be an effective voice for the economically poor and the underserved. We also support and partner with others in raising their own voices to seek justice and mercy.
Q: What are some concrete examples of how your facility has benefitted from the 340B program?
Mercy currently uses some of the 340B benefits in the following areas:
- Drug assistance to patients
- Partnership with Behavioral Health Network to improve the health and well being of individuals in need.
- Funding Social Workers to meet Underserved Women’s Services in pre and post-natal care.
- Drive Thru Flu Vaccine Clinic – 600 doses of free flu vaccine opportunities in collaboration with community health departments.
- Community Sobering Center collaboration
Q: What makes you most proud of your work and your organization?
Reducing costs to continue our mission is so critical for each of our hospitals. My team’s work with 340B is one area that helps provide some of that expense reduction so we can continue to care for our most vulnerable patients and expand services. Mercy’s mission statement is not just words. You feel the difference when you are here as a patient, visitor, or employee and it makes me proud to be a part of that.
Q: How has your facility benefitted from the services of your 340B vendors/contractors?
340B is a complex landscape as everyone involved in this program is fully aware. 340B vendors need to be partners that are in line with your mission, able to react to the changing environment and willing to listen to the covered entities and respond to data needs. To do this effectively, they need to be 340B experts that can discuss the program at a high level and get into the weeds of the data to identify opportunities and risk. Cervey continues to be that valued partner of Mercy to help with our software needs to manage the program compliantly. 340B consultants play an integral part as well to look over your shoulder and make sure compliance is being followed in all areas of your program. Alinea Group has been a trusted partner for Mercy for many years to provide consultation services to this complex program.
Q: What advice do you have for 340B covered entities or staff that are new to the program?
Do your research before jumping into any agreements with TPA’s or consultants. If the size of your hospital/system warrants it, get dedicated resources to manage the program and support them in becoming 340B experts. Use the resources that are key to 340B success like Apexus, 340B Health, 340B Report to stay on top of the 340B landscape. Collaborate and find resources that have worked in the program for many years. They can help you with decisions around consultants and third-party administrators. There is no reason to make this a solo mission. The support is out there to help you get your program off on the right foot and maximize your savings in a compliant manner.
To learn more about Mercy Health, visit www.mercy.net. For questions, Michael Loftus can be reached michael.loftus@mercy.net.
