Virtual Visits Open New Path to Advanced Care for Rural Residents

 

ROGERS  – Mercy recently launched a new collaboration with Boston Mountain Rural Health Center, Inc., to bring advanced cardiology care closer to home for patients in rural Northwest Arkansas. The pilot initiative, designed in partnership with Heartland Whole Health Institute, connects rural residents with Mercy cardiovascular care through virtual visits facilitated by the Boston Mountain Rural Health Center in the Huntsville clinic.

 

“At Mercy, we’re always looking for innovative ways to remove barriers to care,” said Dr. Amr El-Shafei, Mercy Northwest Arkansas cardiology services physician leader. “By using virtual technology in partnership with Boston Mountain, we can support more patients in their own communities while maintaining the same compassionate, high-quality cardiology services they would receive in person.”

 

Arkansas faces some of the nation’s highest rates of heart disease and rural residents often experience more significant challenges in accessing advanced cardiology services. The program aims to reduce barriers including extended drives to the nearest Mercy location or long waits for appointments at other facilities. Instead, it enables them to go to their local clinic, where caregivers facilitate the virtual visit with a Mercy specialist.

 

“Our patients trust us to guide them through every step of their health care journey, and this partnership with Mercy allows us to bring high-quality cardiology care directly into the communities we serve,” said Jennifer DePriest, chief operating officer of Boston Mountain Rural Health Center. “By expanding access locally, we are reducing the burden of travel while also ensuring our patients receive timely, coordinated care that leads to better outcomes and stronger, healthier communities.”

 

Virtual visits are convenient and require no personal technology or technical experience from patients. Individuals will check in at the clinic as they normally would for a primary care appointment, then be guided to a private room equipped with virtual care. Boston Mountain staff will facilitate the connection to Mercy Northwest Arkansas’ cardiology clinic, where a Mercy cardiologist will conduct the virtual consultations.

 

To ensure a seamless patient experience, Mercy’s cardiology team is also working closely with Boston Mountain clinicians to establish standardized care protocols. The collaboration supports smooth coordination between sites and clear transitions of care for every patient served.

 

This pilot program reflects the ongoing commitment by both Mercy and Heartland Whole Health Institute to expanding high-quality specialty care in underserved communities and leveraging technology to bridge geographic gaps in access.

 

As part of its efforts to address systemic health care challenges through collaboration and data-driven strategies, Heartland Whole Health Institute convened the Northwest Arkansas health care providers to develop and pilot a model with the potential to replicate in other rural communities. The Institute will monitor the delivery model and analyze the results to inform future telehealth work in rural Arkansas and the planned Bentonville Health Care Campus, which will include an outpatient center for advanced specialty care, new cardiac services and expanded virtual care.

 

This pilot builds on a long-term affiliation announced in 2024 among the Alice L. Walton Foundation, Mercy and Heartland Whole Health Institute, with Cleveland Clinic collaborating to provide world-class cardiovascular expertise.

 

“By bringing the right partners together to test and learn, we’re building care models that can scale and endure,” said Dr. Claude Pirtle, president of Heartland Whole Health Institute. “This work is helping lay the foundation for the Bentonville Health Care Campus as a hub for advanced specialty care, innovation and virtual access – extending high-quality care well beyond Northwest Arkansas.”