Lowe's Expands Benefits with World-Class Cleveland Clinic Care

Lowe's Expands Benefits with World-Class Cleveland Clinic Care

Heart Care at No Cost to Eligible Employees

MOORESVILLE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- At a time when millions of Americans have quality health care on their minds, Lowe's Companies, Inc., announced it is adding an innovative benefit for employees as part of an alliance with Cleveland Clinic, which has been ranked No. 1 in the nation for heart care for 15 consecutive years.

Lowe's full-time employees and their covered dependents enrolled in the company's self-funded medical plan may elect to schedule qualifying heart surgery procedures at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio at an enhanced benefits coverage level.

"We are extremely proud of the quality of our comprehensive benefits program. In working together with Cleveland Clinic, our employees will be able to experience the best of the best in health care with lower out of pocket expense than having the surgery at another facility," said Bob Ihrie, Lowe's senior vice president of employee rewards and services. "We believe that having the correct diagnosis, combined with surgery by the undisputed leaders in this field, will produce the highest-quality outcomes for our employees. By enabling access to top quality care, it is our hope that employees and their dependents will have an improved quality of life for many years to come."

According to the 2009 U.S. News & World Report "America's Best Hospitals" survey, Cleveland Clinic was named No. 4 in the country for overall best hospital and 12 Cleveland Clinic programs were listed among the Top 10 in the United States.

To take part in the new program, the patient must be approved for the surgery in advance, healthy enough to travel and able to schedule the surgery at a future date. For patients approved for the qualifying heart surgery, the Lowe's program will cover all medical deductibles and coinsurance amounts as well as travel and lodging expenses for the patient and a companion plus concierge services to make the arrangements.

"In one innovative stroke, Lowe's has assured employee access to the nation's best surgical care and challenged all U.S. hospitals to accelerate their pursuit of surgical excellence," said Arnold Milstein, M.D., Medical Director of the Pacific Business Group on Health, the largest employer care purchasing coalition in the U.S. "Through this exemplary innovation in purchasing high-risk surgery for its sickest employees and their families, Lowe's has assured access to America's most renowned hospital for cardiac surgeries."

Lowe's strives to be an employer of choice for its 228,000 employees and has earned a reputation for providing high-quality, low-cost benefits to its employees and their families. The National Business Group on Health, a national nonprofit organization, recently named Lowe's a Silver winner of the 2009 Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles award.

"By choosing Cleveland Clinic, Lowe's has given its employees access to specialized cardiac care," said Michael McMillan, Executive Director of Market and Network Services at Cleveland Clinic. "We are eager to work with this innovative employer, and offer our services to help them to create a new approach to their health plan."

About Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland Clinic, located in Cleveland, Ohio, is a not-for-profit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Cleveland Clinic was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation's best hospitals in its annual "America's Best Hospitals" survey. About 2,000 full-time salaried physicians and researchers and 7,600 nurses at Cleveland Clinic represent more than 100 medical specialties and subspecialties. In addition to its main campus, Cleveland Clinic operates nine regional hospitals in Northeast Ohio, Cleveland ClinicFlorida, the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas and Cleveland Clinic Canada. In 2008, there were more than 4.2 million visits throughout the Cleveland Clinic health system and 165,000 hospital admissions. Patients came for treatment from every state and from more than 80 countries. Visit Cleveland Clinic at clevelandclinic.org.

About Lowe's

With fiscal year 2008 sales of $48.2 billion, Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a FORTUNE(R) 50 company that serves approximately 14 million customers a week at more than 1,700 home improvement stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Founded in 1946 and based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe's is the second-largest home improvement retailer in the world. For more information, visit Lowes.com.


    Source: Lowe's Companies, Inc.