Springfield, Mo.-based Mercy Hospital, part of St. Louis-based Mercy health system, has partnered with Children's Mercy Kansas City (Mo.) to bring pediatric care services to Springfield.
Mercy and Springfield-based CoxHealth had initially shared plans in 2023 to bring a pediatric hospital to the area. Following a proposal period request that involved multiple hospitals, including Children's Mercy Kansas City, Mercy ultimately did not move forward with CoxHealth as a partner, according to a March 19 news release.
CoxHealth was informed of the decision on the evening of March 18 and is "greatly disappointed" by Mercy's announcement, a spokesperson for the health system said in a statement shared with Becker's.
"In October, CoxHealth and Mercy engaged a third party to guide an objective process, which included community leaders, to determine the best solution," the statement said. "Unfortunately, Mercy’s unilateral decision to end the collaboration is in direct conflict with the clear results of the mutually agreed upon process."
Mercy partnered with a research firm to survey 300 healthcare decision-makers in Southwest Missouri to get a community preference on how pediatric care should be provided in the area.
The survey results found consumers preferred Children's Mercy Kansas City by a 17% margin compared to other regional pediatric hospitals. It also showed that the highest number of children in the area had received care from Children's Mercy, at 17%.
"By creating a pediatric system of excellence in southwest Missouri, our patients will no longer need to drive several hours for appointments and care, which will help improve access and outcomes for all the children we serve in the area," Paul Kempinski, president and CEO of Children's Mercy Kansas City, said in the release.
Children's Mercy Kansas City was not previously affiliated with Mercy, and is an independent hospital.
Mercy is a multistate health system and comprises more than 50 acute care care and specialty hospitals, urgent care locations, pharmacies and imaging centers. It also has more than 900 physician practice locations and outpatient services. Mercy features more than 4,500 physicians and 50,000 employees, according to the release.