{"id":220664,"date":"2025-10-13T04:18:20","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T04:18:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/220664\/"},"modified":"2025-10-13T04:18:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T04:18:20","slug":"mercy-leader-talks-anniversary-huge-problems-with-funding-cuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/220664\/","title":{"rendered":"Mercy leader talks anniversary, \u2018huge problems\u2019 with funding cuts"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a recent conversation with Ryan Gehrig of health system Mercy, he offered insight on the company\u2019s Rogers hospital and its 75th anniversary, the future of regional health care, and his decision to step back from Northwest Arkansas and return to the Fort Smith metro.<\/p>\n

Gehrig, who has juggled dual market duty for the past three years, said the Rogers campus has been a flagship for Mercy to serve other cities and towns in the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main campus today is the heart, so to speak. It\u2019s definitely the biggest location in terms of the breadth of services that we provide,\u201d he said, noting that Mercy has a Springdale campus, is situated in Bella Vista and is connected to the hospital in Berryville.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve experienced a lot of growth,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd we have a number of clinics and therapy centers and different services sprinkled throughout the region.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gehrig said health care leaders at every level are focused on lowering costs while improving quality. It\u2019s a tough juggling act with the population growth happening in Northwest Arkansas and financial stewardship.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been investing heavily in technology and the infrastructure necessary to really look at how do we manage a population, how do we view this from a value perspective and not just look at it from a volume one,\u201d Gehrig said. \u201cI believe we\u2019re as well-positioned as any health system in the country to be able to really go all in on the value side of the equation.\u201d<\/p>\n

FEDERAL FUNDING ISSUES
Of concern are the cuts made at the federal level. Changes to health care financing, particularly through Medicaid, will be difficult to navigate, he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Ryan Gehrig<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they go forward as currently written, we\u2019re going to have \u2013 not just Mercy but everybody \u2014 we\u2019re going to have huge problems,\u201d he said. \u201cAccess is an issue today. It\u2019s going to be a major issue, and it will have ripple effects. I especially worry for our rural communities who are already underserved, and we\u2019ve got health care deserts in those areas. It will slow down what we\u2019re able to do in urban markets as well, even areas like Northwest Arkansas. So yeah, the impact is great.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gehrig said he and other health care leaders are working to educate elected officials on the impact of their decisions. He said they\u2019re receptive to the issues raised and suggested that there are solutions being discussed.<\/p>\n

There are a number of key metrics to watch to see how changing federal and state policies may be impacting hospitals and providers. Medicaid changes, such as adding work requirements, are projected to result in fewer people having health insurance. Those losses could be from not being eligible to simply not being able to navigate the reporting and paperwork process to maintaining coverage.<\/p>\n

UNCOMPENSATED CARE, CHANGE IN DUTIES
Gehrig said he will be watching his hospital\u2019s uncompensated care statistics, which track people without health insurance who use primarily emergency room services. Hospitals cannot refuse to care for patients who enter their emergency rooms whether they have insurance or not.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe monitor it [uncompensated care] each month, and we have actually noticed a bit of an uptick here recently,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is concerning, particularly with some of the new requirements that are coming down the pike that we worry will just increase that uncompensated care and as you know, could end up not getting that timely preventative care. Patients will end up in an ED [emergency department] setting that could have been avoided in a lower cost setting,\u201d<\/p>\n

Gehrig\u2019s tenure in Northwest Arkansas will shift soon. He has been wearing two hats in overseeing both the Northwest Arkansas and Fort Smith metro area markets since 2022. He said he\u2019s enjoyed the experience in Northwest Arkansas, but it needs its own leader. And he will return home to Fort Smith.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a great three years,\u201d he said. \u201cI expanded my role in the ministry over three years ago and took on an additional responsibility in Northwest Arkansas, and I\u2019ve loved it. But Northwest Arkansas is on the precipice of transformation, and they really need somebody embedded in the community on the ground each and every day \u2026 I hope to have a thoughtful handoff to the next leader who we hope to be announcing here in the very, very near future. There are bright things ahead in both communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

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