Forty Under 40: Amy Fore

Drawn to the sciences, Amy Fore began her healthcare career as a pharmacy technician. In 2008, she earned a master’s degree in health services administration from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock after mentors at St. Vincent Health System in Little Rock encouraged her to develop her leadership skills.

Also in 2008, her first daughter was born, and she joined Mercy Clinic in Springfield, Mo., as an administrative fellow. Fore was promoted to operations manager and director of operations before becoming vice president of operations at Mercy Clinic Four Rivers, near St. Louis.

In September 2015, she started as chief operating officer at Mercy Clinic Fort Smith Communities.

“Fort Smith felt very much like coming home,” the Tahlequah, Okla., native said.

She oversees daily operations, workflows, financial performance, marketing and strategic planning. She and a physician partner are responsible for nearly 200 physicians, 90 advanced practitioners and 670 healthcare workers in 45 clinics across a 13-county region in eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas. Over the past fiscal year, which ended June 30, the clinics had 437,000 patient visits.

Between September 2017 and January 2018, Fore oversaw the integration of physicians, advanced practitioners and healthcare workers after Mercy acquired Cooper Clinic. Over the past fiscal year, Mercy has added 42 physicians and advanced practitioners, and the clinic has a 92% physician retention rate.

In January and February, she oversaw a five-week flu clinic seeing more than 2,000 patients.

Fore has co-authored a book, written healthcare journal articles and is a board member for the Reynolds Cancer Support House and Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy.