The Initial Group / Company

	July 2008 Mercy Health Partners joins the Initial Group PPO Network more		MERCY HEALTH PARTNERS JOINS THE INITIAL GROUP PPO NETWORK The Initial Group, one of the largest preferred provider organizations in Tennessee announced that the five St. Mary's hospitals and more than 30 St. Mary's facilities in East Tennessee are now members of The Initial Group PPO Network. The Initial Group partners with hospitals, physicians and physician groups to create a strong collaboration of healthcare systems within network service area. "We are very excited about the addition of Mercy Health Partners' St. Mary's hospitals and facilities to The Initial Group. It is a tremendous benefit to our more than 200,000+ members located in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. St. Mary's hospitals and facilities have for many years been an industry leader in providing affordable, innovative, and quality healthcare," said Carl Papp, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Initial Group. Members of The Initial Group can now access all of Mercy Health Partners hospitals and facilities which enables them to avoid paying high "out-of-network" co-payments and deductibles. The Initial Group is a healthcare network consisting of more than 135 hospitals and facilities with more than 6700 physicians. The Initial Group has been in operation for more than 12 years, providing managed care products and services to employers and employees throughout their network service area. The New Mercy Health Partners with approximately 6,000 employees and revenue of $600 million is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. It is a mission-driven, not-for-profit, integrated network of healthcare providers, services and facilities including hospitals, long-term care facilities and other health delivery sites. - END - << Back to press releases