Mercy Teams Up with Humana to Increase Access to Primary Care for Patients 65+

SPRINGFIELD, Mo., Jan. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As America's population ages, Mercy and Humana are teaming up to open new 65 Prime+ by Mercy Primary Care clinics, which are specifically geared toward making it easier for patients who are 65 years and older on Medicare to get the care, education and support they need.  

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of adults who are 65 and older has increased by more than a third over the past decade. Mercy introduced 65 Prime+ clinics in 2023 to meet the changing health care needs of this growing population with the first clinic in Joplin, Missouri. Today, Mercy operates five 65 Prime+ clinics across Missouri. By collaborating with Humana, Mercy plans to increase the number of these clinics across Missouri, and there are talks to further expand into additional states Mercy serves, including Arkansas and Oklahoma. These clinics will be in-network for most Medicare Advantage plans, and they will also accept Original Medicare.

"Our goal is for these clinics to become mini community centers where patients can see their doctor, get answers to questions about Medicare, participate in activities or even have a cup of coffee with friends," said Steve Mackin, Mercy president and CEO. "At Mercy, we believe in caring for the entire patient, not just individual symptoms, which is why we've designed these clinics for Medicare patients who need more time and attention in their health care. Deploying clinics built from the ground up and staffed with patients in mind will ensure they live their best possible life and achieve their health goals."

Mercy and Humana decided to open the first collaborative clinics in 2025 in Springfield and Nixa, Missouri.

"One reason we chose the Springfield area as our first location is that our caregivers are already doing a great job meeting the needs of our patients here, which gives us a great foundation as we work to increase access and expand resources for patients at these clinics," Mackin said. "Additionally, Humana has a strong reputation here, and regardless of what type of Medicare plan a patient has, that reputation goes a long way."

"Humana has a strong and longtime commitment to our members and the communities we serve in this region," said Jeremy Gaskill, Humana Central Region Medicare president. "We are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Mercy to launch a significant expansion of this specialized model of health care focused on the specific needs of older adults."

As part of the collaboration, Mercy and Humana will select sites for the 65 Prime+ clinics that provide the most convenient access for patients. Each clinic will be able to care for up to 2,000 new patients.

"Since we knew our goal was to care for as many patients as possible, we worked closely with Humana to innovate together to develop a way to deliver the best care to our patients."

The first three collaborative 65 Prime+ clinics are scheduled to open in Springfield and Nixa in June 2025. Construction is slated to begin in early 2025. From there, Mercy and Humana plan to open several more 65 Prime+ clinics in Missouri.

About Mercy
Mercy, one of the 15 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually with nationally recognized care and one of the nation's largest and highest performing Accountable Care Organizations in quality and cost. Mercy is a highly integrated, multi-state health care system including 50 acute care and specialty (heart, children's, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has over 1,000 physician practice locations and outpatient facilities, more than 5,000 physicians and advanced practitioners and more than 50,000 co-workers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In fiscal year 2023 alone, Mercy provided more than half a billion dollars of free care and other community benefits, including traditional charity care and unreimbursed Medicaid. 

About Humana
Humana Inc. is committed to putting health first – for our teammates, our customers, and our company. Through our Humana insurance services, and our CenterWell health care services, we make it easier for the millions of people we serve to achieve their best health – delivering the care and service they need, when they need it. These efforts are leading to a better quality of life for people with Medicare, Medicaid, families, individuals, military service personnel, and communities at large. Learn more about what we offer at Humana.com and at CenterWell.com. 

Other providers are available in the Humana network.
Provider may also contract with other plan sponsors. 

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SOURCE Mercy