About Pershing Health System
Pershing Health System is a 25-bed critical access hospital serving Brookfield, Missouri, and the surrounding rural community since 1960. As a not-for-profit hospital, Pershing provides care for patients of all ages, offering a wide range of services including emergency care, outpatient surgery, physical and occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, radiology, lab services, and more. With 150 employees, Pershing is both a healthcare provider and an anchor institution in its small community, deeply invested in supporting both patients and staff.
The History
When Jennifer Leach joined Pershing as Director of Human Resources, she quickly noticed two things: the hospital had significant employee healthcare debt on its books, and many employees were putting off care because they couldn’t afford the upfront costs.
Employees had been getting medical care at the hospital, and while Pershing was facilitating payroll deductions for that care, employees seemed unable to catch up. Leach explained, “I was trying to figure out a solution to how we could maneuver that to help pay off those debts a little bit quicker, but still not hurt our employees' finances.”
Pershing needed a solution that would reduce employees’ financial burden, encourage timely care, and simultaneously help the hospital reduce internal debt.
The Opportunity
After seeing Paytient in use at another local hospital, Leach believed it was exactly what she’d been searching for. She noted, “I wanted to give [our employees] an option that was less invasive — a good thing, to make make them smile.” Shortly after meeting with Paytient, Leach was sure that it was, in fact, the right fit. She noted, “The concept of it was so simple, I almost thought it was too good to be true.”
Launched January 1, 2025, Paytient’s Health Payment Account (HPA) gave Pershing employees access to an interest-free line of credit for medical expenses. Employees could repay through payroll deductions at a pace they chose: $20 per paycheck, $50 per paycheck, or whatever fit their budget at that moment.
The Implementation
Implementation was quick, seamless, and low lift for the HR team. Within two months, Pershing had the system live and employees educated. Leach describes the journey best:
“Once I got set up with our representative, they actually came here, brought information, explained everything to us, sent us webinars and flyers to hand out, and it was so, so helpful. We had all of this set up, including the file feed for our payroll system within two months. It was done. It was very quick, and it was seamless and very, very easy for my staff. Even our less tech-savvy staff had no trouble getting started.”
Some employees even activated and used their card the very same day, proving that Paytient was solving an immediate need.
Culture of Care at Pershing
For Leach, HR isn’t just about rules or paperwork — it’s about people, which is evident in the way she speaks about her work.
“In a small community like this, you need to build those relationships and nurture them, or your retention of staff is low. So my main concern here at Pershing is the employees. Every decision that I make for this hospital is based on how it will affect the employees inside this building.”
She makes a point to build relationships, explain policies, and lead by example. And, when It came to assuring staff members that Paytient was not too good to be true, she did exactly that, noting, “I can’t expect my employees to use a benefit I wouldn’t use myself. I got my own card, used it for bloodwork, and showed them how it worked.”
That simple act built essential trust around the new benefit and has translated into real impact for employees:
- Staff who once delayed MRIs or CT scans are now comfortable scheduling them.
- Employees felt immediate relief when they realized Paytient wasn’t a credit card — no fees, no interest, and flexible repayment.
Leach summed it up simply, stating, “That thousand-dollar line of credit may not sound like a lot, but to someone who needs it, it’s everything.”
The Results
In less than a year, Paytient has already made a clear impact at Pershing.
Beyond the metrics, Paytient has shifted care-seeking behavior. Employees who once delayed tests or scans now feel comfortable moving forward. From scheduling important scans to getting bloodwork done, employees are now able to take care of themselves — not just their patients.
Return on Care
More than just improving life for employees, though, Paytient also delivered value back to Pershing in another big way:
- Employee debt on the hospital’s books has decreased significantly as staff has gained a new way to pay for care over time.
- Employees were more likely to choose Pershing for their own care, keeping revenue in-house
- The cost-per-member for offering Paytient has been low compared to the benefit.
“We’ve definitely seen a big rise in employee-based revenue because of the Paytient card. Employees are coming to us for their care, and they pay right then and there. They're choosing us. Even though they can use it anywhere, they want to come here to use it. And when you look at the cost-per-member compared to the worth of the benefit, it’s so low you don’t even worry about it.”
The Impact
Perhaps the most powerful impact has been the human one, though. Leach shared the story of a longtime employee battling a serious illness:
“She came to my office and said she wouldn’t have been able to pay for her treatment upfront if it weren’t for Paytient. She had already spent all her money that month on medications. Having the Paytient card meant she could move forward with the care she needed.”
For Leach, that’s the heart of it — the gratitude and sense of relief she hears directly from her team.
For Pershing, Paytient is more than a benefit. It’s a way to show employees they’re cared for, empower them to seek timely care, and keep dollars flowing back into the hospital that anchors their community.
