Salt Lake City: Livability in the 21st Century

and other studies, was recognized by
the College of Healthcare Information
Management Executives [CHIME] and the
American Hospital Association.)
Intermountain Healthcare is also focused
on providing the highest levels of service
excellence and promotes an organizationwide
culture for delivering extraordinary
care. Intermountain’s overall “Dimensions of
Care” action areas include clinical excellence,
patient engagement, physician engagement,
operational effectiveness, employee engagement,
and community stewardship. These action
areas dovetail with a specific framework,
called “Healing Commitments,” for how
department leaders motivate their teams.
These commitments create an environment in which patients,
guests, and co-workers feel comfort, community, acceptance,
inspiration, and peace.
Affordability is another priority at Intermountain
Healthcare. Sharing services, focusing on efficient operational
processes, and purchasing in volume are a few ways
Intermountain keeps costs down. But more important is the
organization’s unwavering focus on continuously improving
clinical quality. In healthcare, higher clinical quality often
costs less because there are few medical complications, fewer
readmissions, and faster recoveries. Intermountain’s efforts
play a significant role in Utah’s relatively affordable healthcarecost
profile: lower hospital charges, insurance premiums,
and per-capita healthcare expenditures.
Despite how affordable healthcare is in Utah,
Intermountain recognizes the special role it plays in the
communities it serves and works to ensure patients receive the
most appropriate, high-quality healthcare regardless of ability
to pay. Intermountain directly operates six community clinics
serving low-income and uninsured populations. In addition,
it financially supports twelve independent community clinics,
and the combined patient visits total more than 200,000 per
year. In addition, in 2012, Intermountain hospitals and clinics
provided more than $300 million in financial assistance.
Intermountain Healthcare also conducts Community
Health Needs Assessments, and its Board establishes annual
goals for community benefit programs system-wide. One
example of Intermountain’s public outreach efforts is its
LiVe Well teen fitness campaign, which provides free
in-school events and resources as well as raising awareness
through advertising and other communications.
Intermountain Healthcare has achieved wide recognition
as one of the nation’s leading healthcare systems by
continually learning and seeking to provide extraordinary
care. It is an organization that cares as well as cures and
benefits not only its patients but also the communities
it serves. For more information about Intermountain
Healthcare, please visit www.intermountainhealthcare.org.
❖
With twenty-two hospitals and more than 185 clinics, Intermountain
Healthcare staff, clinicians, and caregivers provide patients with high quality,
highly effective care based on proven medical best practices.
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