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Just What the Doctor Ordered

MERCY ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

The nation’s sixth largest Catholic health system

The last thing a patient needs after a hospital stay is the stress of medical bills piling up.

Patients discharged from any of the 32 hospitals in Mercy’s health system now have a more compassionate alternative. With a special zero percent interest rate loan from Commerce, they can consolidate those bills into one lump sum that they repay over time.

“A zero-interest loan is not a product you find many places,” says Bruce Fernandez, Mercy’s director of treasury services. “But Commerce understood patient needs and developed a truly humanitarian solution that helps ease their minds and support their recovery.”

The Health Services Financing program is one of many solutions Commerce has developed over the years to support Mercy’s non- profit Catholic mission, according to Steve Walden, Mercy’s manager of treasury operations.

“Many banking services are commodities,” says Steve. “When we want to do something different, we’ve found that larger banks can’t

respond as quickly or nimbly as Commerce. That’s where we go when we want to look outside the box.”

Other Commerce innovations include a purchasing card program — the largest under the bank’s management — that has been tailored multiple times to address specialty needs within the Mercy system.

Mercy also looks to Commerce for financing and to Commerce Trust for investment fund management, among many other things.

“I can’t tell you the number of times we’ve gone to Commerce with a need, and they’ve designed a solution to meet it,” says Anthony Waskiewicz, Mercy’s chief investment officer.

“Our relationship works so well because we both exist, in large part, to serve our communities,” he says. “That extends into Commerce’s support of our charitable efforts, which means a lot.”

A zero-interest patient loan is one of many solutions Commerce has developed to support Mercy’s non-profit Catholic mission. From left: Steven Walden, manager, treasury operations; Brian Day, vice president and deputy treasurer; Anthony Waskiewicz, Jr., chief investment officer; Bruce Fernandez, director, treasury services; and Shannon Sock, executive vice president, strategy and chief financial officer.

“ It’s our responsibility to hire the best bank for the job.

Period. The fact that we choose Commerce so often is

a testament to their across-the-board excellence.”

J17411 HSF Testimonial Mercy 5.20.indd 1 5/22/2015 11:53:11 AM