Mercy Names New Contracting President

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ --  Following an extensive national search, Mercy has named Paul Davis, JD, MHA, as the new president of contracting and managed care. Davis will begin his role Jan. 19 and brings decades of deep experience in building provider networks, negotiating contracts and developing innovative care models across the U.S.

"Paul has a unique talent of untangling complexity and delivering progress for patients," said Dave Thompson, Mercy's senior vice president, chief growth officer and president of population health. "His expertise in aligning strategic goals and simplifying the patient experience will strengthen Mercy's relationships with payers and providers while advancing Mercy's mission of compassionate care."

As president of contracting and managed care, Davis will lead Mercy's strategy for payer relations and contracting across its multi-state health system. He will focus on improving networks, expanding value-based care programs and ensuring agreements support Mercy's growth and long-term success.

Davis most recently served as national vice president of network development and contracting at Humana, providing executive leadership for network strategy, contracting, value-based program innovation and provider analytics in support of Humana's Medicare, Medicaid and Employer Group business segments. Under his leadership, Humana consistently aligned incentives with provider partners, minimized provider abrasion, simplified the patient journey and managed costs in support of market leading benefits. Additionally, he has held executive roles with Cook Children's Health Care System, PacificCare, Texas Health Resources and UnitedHealth Group where he consistently delivered strong financial/operational results and sustainable growth.

"I'm honored to join Mercy and help advance Mercy's vision for high-quality, patient-centered care," Davis said. "I look forward to collaborating with our caregivers and partners to create strategies that deliver value and improve care for the communities we serve. Mercy has one of the highest performing ACOs in the country and together I know we can continue to grow Mercy's success in both value-based and traditional care models."

Davis earned his master's degree in health care administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his Juris Doctor from Baylor University School of Law in Waco, Texas.

Davis succeeds the retiring David Ott, whose leadership in managed care and contracting has been instrumental in advancing Mercy's payer strategies, fostering new, strong partnerships and guiding the organization through significant growth and transformation.

"We're deeply grateful for David's leadership and dedication," said Thompson. "His contributions have strengthened Mercy's contracting strategies, value-based care agreements and elevated the standard of care for countless patients."

Mercy, one of the 15 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually with nationally recognized care and one of the nation's largest and highest performing Accountable Care Organizations in quality and cost. Mercy is a highly integrated, multi-state health care system including 55 acute care and specialty (heart, children's, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has over 1,000 physician practice locations and outpatient facilities, more than 5,000 physicians and advanced practitioners and more than 50,000 caregivers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In fiscal year 2025 alone, Mercy provided more than half a billion dollars of free care and other community benefits, including traditional charity care and unreimbursed Medicaid.   

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SOURCE Mercy