2026 Dynamic Dozen No. 2: Mercy Springfield Communities

SBJ: What has been key to your recent growth?
John Myers: It really comes down to strengthening our talent pipeline, recruiting and retaining physicians and caregivers, and really creating an organization-wide alignment around a small set of strategic priorities. About three years ago, we began bringing our entire leadership team – and that’s managers and above – so about 400 leaders together offsite once a year to really align around a shared strategic and operating plan. Historically, we’ve done a really good job of setting priorities at the top, but it hasn’t always cascaded down to the frontline level. We really tried to rebase three years ago and make sure really all levels of leadership were rowing in the same direction. … And each specialty and department clearly connected its work to the broader business plan by building specific initiatives, aligning the right resources and then tracking measurable milestones and performance targets throughout the year.

SBJ: What has the company’s growth enabled you to do?
Myers: The growth enabled us to really deliver on our mission. Because we also have a mission to support the underserved, but it’s also allowed us capacity to reinvest. So, expanding our workforce where we need it, upgrading equipment, opening new sites of care, which ultimately leads to serving more patients. This fiscal year, the biggest impact is we’ve invested approximately $75 million back into Mercy Springfield Communities through capital projects and care delivery improvements.

SBJ: Is your fast growth sustainable?
Myers: I really believe it is. Demand for our services continues to grow. Recruiting remains strong. Our partnerships with colleges and universities really help us sustain a robust talent pipeline. And we have highly engaged leadership and clinical teams aligned around these priorities. We’ve been very intentional over the last few years about building the operating discipline to support this growth. The entire team really believes that when decisions are made closest to the work at the frontline level and supported by clear goals and accountability, you get faster execution and stronger buy-in.

SBJ: What are growth plans for the company over the next couple of years?
Myers: One is expanding patient access to care. So, shorter wait times to see a specialist, more care closer to where patients live, faster treatment times in our emergency departments, enhanced pediatric care through our partnership with Children’s Mercy. And then what’s really important, especially now with the HR1 [“One Big Beautiful Bill”] impact is continued investment in our rural communities. Second, I would say continuing to enhance our local workforce pipeline.We’re also excited to launch our own physician residency program. This will absolutely benefit every healthcare system in our region and have a significant economic impact on our community.

SBJ: Any additional details you’re willing to share about the residency program?
Myers: I think we’ll be able to share more details in the next few weeks.