Intermountain Healthcare CEO Delivers Annual Report to the Community, Says Intermountain Is Well-Positioned for the Future

SALT LAKE CITY–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#Healthcare–After a year of unprecedented changes in healthcare, Intermountain
Healthcare’s president and CEO, Marc Harrison, MD, says Intermountain is
making the right moves to be well-positioned for the future.

In his annual community report on Friday to 600 community and healthcare
leaders in Salt Lake City, Dr. Harrison outlined how Utah is faring much
better than most places in the U.S. for access to healthcare services at
affordable costs.

This year alone, at least 11 rural U.S. hospitals have closed their
doors. Major mergers between companies such as CVS Health and Aetna are
becoming regular occurrences, and healthcare costs continue to rise at
an alarming rate. Despite these national healthcare challenges and
uncertainty, Dr. Harrison said Intermountain is changing its model of
how they deliver care – to stay strong and stable for future generations.

Dr. Harrison highlighted Utah’s strong economy and the lower than
average healthcare costs, and he presented many initiatives underway to
help keep the state in this enviable position.

“Intermountain is proactively making changes to continue improving the
health of the people we serve with the best, most affordable care,” said
Dr. Harrison.

Other highlights in the presentation included:

• Intermountain will spend $1.2 billion in the next five years on new
  construction projects to enhance community access to care. These
  include new hospitals in Layton and Spanish Fork and expanded hospital
  services in St. George, along with new clinics in Layton, Lehi and
  Sandy.
• Through programs like the Zero Harm patient safety initiative,
  Intermountain has seen a significant improvement in infection rates
  since 2017.
• As evidence of a growing population and economy in the region, the
  number of patient days increased by two percent in 2018.
• Intermountain has redesigned itself to provide care where, when, and
  how people want it. 90 percent of Intermountain clinics now offer
  extended hours beyond 8-5. Since 2017, there have been 325,000
  after-hours patient visits.
• With Intermountain having a financial risk for more than 40 percent of
  its patients, there is a strong focus on preventive care to keep
  people in the community healthy.
• Intermountain is making medical care more affordable in multiple ways:
  • Intermountain joined with other non-profit healthcare systems to
    start a new not-for-profit generic drug company called Civica Rx
    to battle skyrocketing prices and shortages created by Big Pharma.
  • Intermountain Connect Care offers a virtual visit with a
    healthcare provider for only $49.
  • SelectHealth offers an insurance plan to employers with guaranteed
    annual increases of only 2.5 percent.
• Charity care for residents in the Intermountain region, has expanded
  to provide needed services at no cost, or low cost, to individuals and
  families earning up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
• Clinical outcome measures are improving, and in many instances, lead
  the nation. For example, recent improvements in services for premature
  babies have cut length of stays by two weeks, reduced mortality, and
  provided savings of approximately $1 million annually for parents.
• Intermountain’s telehealth services have helped care for 520,000
  patients since 2013. More than 40 different services are available and
  being used by hospitals in seven western states.
• Intermountain is taking the approach of “moving upstream” to improve
  health in the community. This includes a multi-year $12 million
  partnership with local agencies to address determinants of health.

Contacts

Intermountain Healthcare
Daron Cowley, 385-275-8245
Media
Relations Director
daron.cowley@imail.org