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.