CommonSpirit, University of Utah Health team on access
Patients at five CommonSpirit hospitals will have access to University of Utah Health's physicians and providers.
Photo: kupicoo/Getty Images
A new, clinically-focused strategic alliance has been formed between CommonSpirit Health and University of Utah Health, with the two entities hoping the alliance will increase access to quality medical care.
Through the alliance, patients at five CommonSpirit hospitals will have access to University of Utah Health's physicians and providers, and the former will extend the latter's capacity to provide care to more people along the Wasatch Front, a major metropolitan area of Utah.
The five hospitals are CommonSpirit Holy Cross Hospitals in Davis, Jordan Valley, Jordan Valley West, Mountain Point and Salt Lake.
WHAT'S THE IMPACT?
University of Utah Health is the only academic health system in Utah and provides patient care for the people of Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and much of Nevada. It's also a training ground for many of the state's physicians, nurses, pharmacists, therapists and other healthcare professionals.
CommonSpirit has care sites across 24 states and five operating regions – with its Mountain Region spanning across Utah, Colorado and Kansas – and employs more than 1,000 skilled physicians and other providers as part of its team of about 16,000 employees.
Both touted their long histories – CommonSpirit's began more than 148 years ago, when the Sisters of the Holy Cross founded Holy Cross Hospital in Salt Lake City in 1875. More recently, CommonSpirit has invested more than $100 million in its facilities and caregivers in Utah in the past 18 months.
University of Utah Health got its start about 80 years ago, when it was founded in Salt Lake City in 1965, and has expanded its reach into fields such as genetics, cancer treatment, neurology, orthopedics and cardiovascular care.
THE LARGER TREND
CommonSpirit Health reported an operating loss of $1.3 billion and a -3.9% margin in 2023.
It subsequently focused on growth: reducing labor costs, including contract labor; enhancing revenue yield; optimizing length of stay; and continued value-capture efforts.
ON THE RECORD
"At CommonSpirit, our mission calls us to relentlessly innovate so we can provide the highest standard of compassionate care to every person, including the most vulnerable," said Andrew Gaasch, President of the CommonSpirit Mountain Region, which includes the five Utah CommonSpirit hospitals and clinics. "We look forward to welcoming University of Utah Health providers to our hospitals and working alongside them as we improve population health and build a path to more accessible care along the Wasatch Front and beyond."
"We keep the patient at the center of everything we do and are proud to partner with CommonSpirit's exceptional teams and hospitals to extend access for people in our communities and region," said Dr. Michael L. Good, CEO of University of Utah Health and senior vice president for health sciences. "Working together, we will do what we all trained in health care to do: improve health and quality of life. We are proud to come together with the CommonSpirit providers and staff in that shared purpose. CommonSpirit's commitment to compassionate care is inspiring, and we look forward to collaborating with such a dedicated organization."
Jeff Lagasse is editor of Healthcare Finance News.
Email: jlagasse@himss.org
Healthcare Finance News is a HIMSS Media publication.
