Mercyhealth

Mercyhealth is a non-profit health care provider and hospital system based in Janesville, Wisconsin. It is a regional health care system with over 85 facilities serving a total of 50 communities throughout southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.[1] As part of its diversified, vertically integrated system, Mercyhealth operates over four core service areas: hospital-based service, clinic service, post-acute care, and retail.[2] In 2020, Mercyhealth significantly reduced one of its four core service areas, hospital based services, by closing inpatient services at the Mercyhealth Javon Bea Hospital - Rockton Campus.[3]

For other uses, see Mercy Health (disambiguation).
Mercyhealth
TypeNon-profit organization
IndustryHealth care
Founded1883 in Janesville, Wisconsin, United States
FounderDr. Henry Palmer
HeadquartersJanesville, Wisconsin
Number of locations
Six
Area served
Southern Wisconsin, Northern Illinois
Key people
Javon R. Bea, CEO
Henry Palmer, Founder
Revenue$1.3 billion
Number of employees
8,000
Websitewww.mercyhealthsystem.org

History
The Palmer Memorial Hospital in 1905

The original Janesville City Hospital was founded in 1883 by Dr. Henry Palmer, a Civil War surgeon general who had trained Daniel Hale Williams. The hospital was later renamed Palmer Memorial Hospital and was operated by his son Dr. William Palmer. Soon after it was bought by the Sisters of Mercy of Chicago who renamed it Palmer Memorial Mercy Hospital. The Mercy Sisters worked as trained nurses during the Civil War, and after the war they took on the work of public health care. Need for expansion led to the Sisters of Mercy opening a 50-bed Mercy Hospital facility in Janesville in 1913, which eventually grew through renovation into a 150-bed facility by 1920.[4]

In the second half of the 20th century the Sisters of Mercy began to divest itself of its health care holdings, including the Janesville hospital, and Mercy became an independent organization. At that same time, Mercyhealth grew out of their old hospital and built a 275-bed facility in downtown Janesville, WI. This facility is the current site of Mercyhealth Hospital and Trauma Center.

In 1989, Mercyhealth's volunteer board of directors selected Javon R. Bea as its president and CEO. When Bea became CEO, Mercyhealth could only claim $33 million in annual revenue, had only 589 total employees in a single hospital location, and only saw an estimated 89,000 patients yearly. As of 2020, Mercyhealth sees an average of 1.2 million patients every year, employs over 8,000 people across 85 locations, and can claim $1.3 billion in annual revenue.[5]

On March 23, 2020, Mercyhealth announced unpaid furloughs to an undisclosed number of employees.[6] Mercyhealth then reduced salaries for employees in leadership positions and physicians systemwide. This includes the President and CEO, Javon Bea. In 2018, Javon Bea's salary was $9.36 million.[7][8]

On April 22, 2020, Mercyhealth announced that the health system will no longer accept an estimated 66,000 medicaid patients as a result of termination of contracts with IlliniCare, Meridian, Molina, and Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicaid. Mercyhealth cited financial difficulties as the cause for the termination of these contracts and denial of these Medicaid patients.[9][10][11]

In June 2020, Mercyhealth announced the closure of the only a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in the area and within the Mercyhealth system. Mercyhealth cited financial difficulties as the reason for this closure.[12]

In July 2020, Mercyhealth submitted a Certificate of Exemption application with the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board in order to close their 20-bed inpatient acute mental illness services at the Javon Bea Hospital - Rockton Campus. Mercyhealth cited continued financial difficulties and low census as the driver for this closure.[13][14]

After sustained contracting of the Mercyhealth system led by President and CEO Javon Bea, Mercyhealth announced that it would discontinue inpatient emergency services at the Javon Bea Hospital - Rockton Campus. Mercyhealth cited for the fourth time in 2020, financial difficulties as the rational for the cessation of inpatient services and move to strictly outpatient services at the Rockton Campus.[3][15]

In August 2020, the construction of their new micro hospital in Crystal Lake, IL was delayed because of further and sustained finaical difficulties.[16]

After six straight months of financial difficulties, starting with unpaid furloughs in March 2020, Mercyhealth employees wrote a public facing letter urging the CEO to sell the healthcare system on September 6, 2020. The authors cite poor management as the principal cause for the closure of inpatient services at the Javon Bea Hospital - Rockton Campus.[17]

Recognition

In 1998, Modern Healthcare magazine ranked Mercy at the top of its "Fastest Fifty", ranking providers by net patient revenue growth (1991–1996). In 2006, Mercy Health System was ranked first in the nation by the AARP for providing employment options for people over age 50,[18] and it received an award from the Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) green hospitals program.[19] In 2007, Mercy Health System was awarded the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.[20] It was ranked 11th of the Top 100 Integrated Health Networks for 2008 by Modern Healthcare magazine. Working Mother magazine listed Mercy among its 100 Best Companies for 2012 for its child care, flexible scheduling options, leave policies, and advancement programs.[21] Among numerous other awards received in 2013, Mercy Health System was again ranked by the AARP on their "Best Employers for Workers over 50" ranking number five. In 2014, Mercy received Magnet recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The Magnet Recognition Program recognizes health care organizations for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice.[20]

Rockford Merger

On October 23, 2014, the boards of Rockford Health System and Mercy Health System unanimously signed off on a merger of the two systems. Javon Bea, president and CEO of Janesville, Wisconsin-based Mercy Health, will lead the new parent system and sit on its board. The merged system will be forth known as Mercyhealth.

The merged system includes five hospitals, more than 550 physicians and 80 outpatient clinics in Illinois and Wisconsin. Rockford Health System has a 396-bed hospital and a 61-bed rehab center. Mercy has hospitals in Janesville and Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and a 15-bed facility in Harvard, Illinois. Mr. Bea said this partnership adds specialty pediatric and neonatal care that Mercy does not offer.[22] The merged system will open a new hospital in Rockford specializing in the health of women and children. In September 2018 it was announced that Javon Bea Hospital will be the name of the new hospital within the Mercyhealth Riverside Campus, the $505 million complex on the property. In addition, the hospital within the Mercyhealth Rockton Avenue Campus (formerly Rockford Memorial) will also be called Javon Bea Hospital. The naming announcement was made at a news conference at the Riverside Boulevard hospital attended by about 200 people, including Bea's wife Vita Bea and their five children.[23]

Facilities

Acute-care hospitals

Medical & specialty centers

In addition to their main hospitals and clinics, Mercy Health System operates over 65 different medical and specialty centers throughout their service area. Some of these locations include men's and women's health centers, a thrift store, several vision centers, a Hospice care facility, and a 30-bed homeless shelter.

Locations:

Wisconsin
Illinois

References
  1. "About Mercyhealth". Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  2. "About Mercyhealth". Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  3. "Mercyhealth ending in-patient emergency services at Rockton Avenue campus, city aldermen react". MyStateline.com. 2020-08-18. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  4. "Medical History of Janesville, Wisconsin: 1833 – 1933". Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  5. "About Mercy Health System". Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  6. [email protected], Ashley McCallum. "Mercyhealth puts undisclosed number of employees on unpaid furlough". GazetteXtra. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  7. Andrew Carrigan (2020-04-22). "Mercyhealth to implement salary cuts". WREX. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  8. Jan 23rd 2020 - 10am, Jeff Kiger / Forum News Service |. "Mayo Clinic executives salaries are climbing faster than bedside staff". West Central Tribune. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  9. Newsroom, WIFR. "Mercyhealth no longer accepting patients with IlliniCare, Meridian, Molina Medicaid". wifr.com. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  10. Andrew Carrigan (2020-05-12). "Mercyhealth at risk of losing millions of federal dollars after eliminating multiple Medicaid providers". WREX. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  11. Guerrero, Isaac. "U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos slams Mercyhealth CEO for refusing Medicaid patients in Rockford". Rockford Register Star. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  12. Newsroom, WIFR. "Mercyhealth closes PICU, citing area population not big enough for operation". wifr.com. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  13. Newsroom, WIFR. "Mercyhealth petitions to dismantle mental illness ward". wifr.com. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  14. Kolkey, Jeff. "Mercyhealth closes Rockford mental health unit without public hearing, state approval". Rockford Register Star. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  15. Kolkey, Jeff. "Mercyhealth to cut some Rockton Avenue emergency services". Rockford Register Star. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  16. BUCHMANEmailFollow, CASSIE. "Pandemic causes construction delays for Mercyhealth hospital". www.nwherald.com. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  17. "Letter written by MercyHealth employees urges CEO to sell the healthcare system". MyStateline.com. 2020-09-07. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  18. "Hot Jobs 2006". Archived from the original on 2006-11-16. Retrieved 2013-02-15.
  19. "Health Care's Environmental Leaders Receive Nation's Top Honor". Archived from the original on October 5, 2007. Retrieved 2013-02-15.
  20. "Awards & Recognitions". Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  21. "2012 Working Mother 100 Best Companies". Archived from the original on 2012-11-27. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  22. "Rockford hospital merges with Wisconsin's Mercy Health". Retrieved 2016-07-29.
  23. "Mercyhealth names Rockford hospitals after CEO Javon Bea". Retrieved 2018-10-17.
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