Intermountain Trustee AN EMAIL BRIEFING FOR INTERMOUNTAIN HEALTHCARE TRUSTEES

July 2019

INTERMOUNTAIN INITIATIVES

Intermountain announces new company to elevate value- based care capabilities Castell will offer tools and services to support transformation, improvement

Intermountain Healthcare has formed a new comprehensive health platform company focused on elevating value-based care capabilities with providers, payers, healthcare systems, and accountable care organizations.

Named Castell, the company will enable other organizations to accelerate their transition from volume to value-based systems of care, while keeping care more affordable and accessible.

“Intermountain Healthcare’s mission is to help people live the healthiest lives possible. This commitment is the same no matter where, when, or with whom people get care,” said Marc Harrison, MD, Intermountain president and CEO. “Castell is a critical component of Intermountain’s broad vision for healthier communities. It creates a new path for providers to access the support they need to provide high quality, affordable care to their patients across the nation.”

Rajesh Shrestha has been named as the president and CEO of Castell. In addition to leading Castell, Shrestha serves as Intermountain vice president and chief operating officer of Community-Based Care. He has more than two decades of experience accelerating other health companies move from fee-for-service to value-based care. “Healthcare’s ongoing shift from volume to value-based systems of care enables providers, health systems, and payers to take a more holistic approach to managing the health of their patients, but also creates more financial risk or rewards,” said Shrestha. “The health platform capabilities, tools, and resources that Castell provides will strengthen the ability of the health ecosystem to thrive in a value-based care environment.”

Castell’s foundation is built on lessons learned, adapted based on the successes and obstacles encountered at Intermountain, within local provider networks, and other population health- focused programs. It will offer a comprehensive platform of tools and services to support transformation and improvement: • A proven value-based clinical care model called “Reimagined Primary Care” • A technology and analytics platform to guide care • Streamlined affiliated network management • Digital tools to address virtual care, patient experience, and social determinants of health • Access to cutting-edge initiatives and innovation coming from Intermountain Healthcare • Opportunity to use care pathways and clinical best practices developed by Intermountain Healthcare

Intermountain has experienced many successes with its value-based care management programs. For example, in 2018, Intermountain introduced its “Reimagined Primary Care” model for physicians and patients, which is now being extended to more providers through Castell. This focus on preventive care enabled physicians to spend more time with high-risk patients to get upstream of potential health problems. After just one year, the program produced strong results:

• 60% reduction in Medicare Advantage admissions • 25% fewer commercial insurance admissions • 20% decreased per-member per-month costs • Improved patient ratings • Improved physician satisfaction

“Proven methods for simplifying value-based care are needed across the healthcare industry,” said Shrestha. “Backed by Intermountain’s day-to-day frontline experience with a focus on population health management, Castell will deliver impactful solutions that help other organizations improve outcomes and keep costs more affordable.”

For more information visit CastellHealth.com.

Number of opioid pills prescribed after heart surgery reduced by 40 percent Cardiovascular Clinical Program maintaining lower numbers

When Intermountain leaders issued the challenge last year to cut the number of opioids prescribed for acute pain by 40 percent, the Cardiovascular Clinical Program was quickly able to meet the goal and has been able to maintain the lower numbers ever since—all while ensuring patients’ pain was properly managed. Here’s how they did it.

Linsey Krantz Hsieh, senior data manager of the Cardiovascular Clinical Program, said when her team began searching for ways to lower the number of opioids prescribed to patients who had just undergone cardiovascular surgery, they started by approaching cardiovascular surgeons. They learned that in most cases it wasn’t the surgeons who were prescribing opioids when patients were discharged but it was the advance practice providers (APPs), who work under their supervision.

She said the data her team analyzed showed fewer pills could be prescribed to patients following cardiovascular surgery without having a negative impact on patients. They presented the data to the APPs and the goal was set to have 90 percent of all prescriptions be for 30 or fewer pills. In less than a week the APPs doubled the number of prescriptions at the 30 pills or below mark, she said.

Ben Christensen, a physician assistant at Intermountain Medical Center, said because the recommendations were data-driven it helped APPs who were prescribing more than 30 pills at a time be more comfortable making adjustments. He said the APPs have been able to educate patients about how many pills they were getting and could always remind their patients that they would be back in a week to discuss their ongoing recovery needs.

Providers say the change hasn’t harmed care or had a negative impact on patient satisfaction. Since the change, Hsieh said her team has talked with the CV surgery teams about the number of patients who come back seeking refills on their opioid prescriptions and looked at patient satisfaction data to see if people are having trouble recovering with fewer opioid pills. They haven’t seen an increase in prescriptions being refilled or a drop in patient satisfaction scores, she said.

Systemwide, Intermountain reduced the number of opioid tablets prescribed in 2018 by 30 percent, a remarkable number considering it represents a reduction of more than 3.8 million tablets. In fact, since 2017 Intermountain has reduced the number of opioid pills prescribed by 5,433,553. In addition to the changes the Cardiovascular Clinical Program implemented, Intermountain has explored alternative forms of pain control, healthcare provider and public education, and safe prescription takeback programs.

Intermountain continues to make progress on its opioid goals in 2019. As of July 10, Intermountain has seen an 18 percent reduction in the number of opioids prescribed for acute pain and a 16 percent decline in the number of opioids prescribed for chronic pain this year. In addition, Intermountain has seen a 51 percent decrease in patients with both a benzodiazepine and opioid co-prescribing, which increases the risk of overdose deaths.

Intermountain cutting back on bottled water usage Availability of bottled water in facilities reduced

Intermountain is cutting back on the availability of bottled water in its facilities, according to Steve Bergstrom, Intermountain’s sustainability director. Catering will now only offer water pitchers and water dispensers at Intermountain meetings, Bergstrom said. The aim is to eliminate plastic bottled water from all meetings and all internal events and gatherings, as well as reduce the amount and types of bottled water available in Intermountain’s cafeterias, with the hope that people will try out a new 25-ounce aluminum bottled water product that will be offered instead. These aluminum containers can be used many times and then be recycled.

Here are a few of the reasons Bergstrom said Intermountain is moving away from using bottled water:

• Using bottled water doesn’t contribute to our goals to do no harm and to help people live the healthiest lives possible. The most widely used container for bottled water is plastic made from petroleum-based polyethylene terephthalate (PET). An additional chemical used in making the plastics is bisphenol A (BPA) which is harmful to humans. Substitute chemicals have proven just as bad. Some of the more expensive bottles promote that they’re BPA free, while the majority of less-expensive bottles don’t offer any information on the matter.

• The bottled-water industry isn’t held to the same standards and testing required of your local tap-water agency.

• Many of the bottles indicate they’re recyclable or made from some recycled content. The trouble is that most recycling centers aren’t taking this type of plastic any longer. There’s no longer a financial incentive to take these plastics for recycling due to the low cost of oil. This type of plastic isn’t a good fuel source for energy production anyway. • Even if bottles could be recycled, they usually aren’t. Nationally, more than 50 billion bottles are purchased and yet only 23 percent are turned in for recycling.

• The plastic bottle never goes away, but it breaks down into smaller pieces which are often eaten by animals or processed by plants that we’ll eventually ingest. These tiny particles can even become air borne with the wind and become part of the air we breathe.

• Production of these bottles requires more than 17 million gallons of oil per year. Another disturbing part of the production process is that it takes three liters of water to bottle one liter of water. It has been estimated that the production and logistics associated with bottled water is close to a third of our national energy consumption.

• In a state that is the second driest in the nation, it doesn’t make sense to use a product that requires a three-to-one ratio to produce one bottle of water.

• If you fret about how much a gallon of gas costs, consider the fact that bottled water costs dramatically more per gallon when compared to tap water. On average, tap water costs nine cents per gallon to use. Bottled water, which in most cases is tap water, can range in cost from $2.50 to $5.49 per gallon. That doesn’t include the additional logistical and waste stream costs that Intermountain must deal with to move bottled water through its distribution centers.

Bergstrom said he understands that making some of these changes could prove difficult for some people. “Bottled water has become almost a staple in our environment today,” Bergstrom said. “It’s everywhere from board rooms to picnics, from sporting events to kitchen countertops.”

Bottled water will still be a part of Intermountain’s resiliency and disaster planning, he said. But we’ll continue to search for ways we can use safe containers and water for such purposes.

Intermountain, Green Urban Lunch Box expanding mobile farmer’s market Markets will serve more cancer patients

Intermountain Healthcare Cancer Services, with support from the Intermountain Foundation, is partnering with local nonprofit Green Urban Lunch Box to provide tasty fruits and vegetables at no cost to cancer patients and their loved ones as part of a mobile farmer’s market.

“Healthy nutrition is a critical complement to cancer care. Leading organizations, such as American Cancer Society and National Cancer Institute, recognize a healthy diet as being a fundamental component for cancer prevention and for improving outcomes during treatment and throughout survivorship,” said Elisa Soulier, wellness program coordinator for Intermountain Healthcare.

“The evidence is continuing to prove that maintaining adequate nutrition for cancer patients going through active treatment can reduce treatment-related side effects, prevent delays in treatment, and improve quality of life,” she added.

Because of the success of this mobile farmer’s market program, which has been underway for the past few years, Intermountain is expanding the markets to serve more of those battling cancer. The program, which started at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, will expanded and be offered at Utah Valley Cancer Center in Provo, LDS Hospital in , and McKay-Dee Cancer Center in Ogden.

“It’s important to have a healthy diet before, during, and after cancer treatment. Proper nutrition helps maintain strength, decrease side effects, and keep a healthy body weight—all of which improve quality of life,” said Soulier.

In past years, up to 300 pounds of locally grown fruits and vegetables has been given to cancer patients at the mobile farmer’s markets.

“It’s hard to get to the store when you’re spending hours getting treatments, and it can be expensive to buy fresh produce. We are excited to have more of our patients reap the benefits of locally-grown, fresh produce as we expand to these new locations,” Soulier said.

UPDATES AND FEATURES

Medical Group opening its first family dental clinic Intermountain’s newest medical service is in Riverton

Intermountain’s newest medical service, Southridge Clinic Dentistry will open its doors to patients starting Monday, July 29. Located in the Southridge Clinic on the Riverton Hospital campus, the dental clinic will offer family dental services to patients of all ages.

Southridge Clinic Dentistry’s dentist will be Troy Sargent, DMD, who brings 23 years of experience in dental care to Intermountain. His passion in dentistry is in performing preventive and tooth-preserving procedures. He’s the first dentist to join the Intermountain Medical Group.

“We’re taking the lead on integrating, organized, and connected physical, mental, oral health model in Utah,” said Dave Henriksen, Medical Group operations officer. “Adding dental clinics is completely aligned with our mission and will allow us to better help people live the healthiest lives possible.””

“The benefits of integrating dentistry into Intermountain’s model of complete care are tremendous,” said Dr. Sargent. “I’m thrilled to be a part of a forward-thinking organization that focuses on helping individuals lead the healthiest lives possible. It’s almost impossible to maintain total body health without a healthy mouth. We’re excited to offer excellent dental care for the whole family using the very best dental technology and equipment available.”

Todd Markham, Southridge Clinic practice director, said, “I’m proud that we’re implementing within our community family dental services that focus on prevention and wellness. We’re now able to extend the same quality healthcare for which we’re known into dentistry. We truly are Healing for Life.”

Visit Southridge Clinic Dentistry’s website or call 801-285-4200 to learn more about their services and to schedule an appointment. Board of the Intermountain Foundation has new leadership Anderson is Foundation’s new chair, Laub assumes role as vice chair

Utah business and civic leaders Scott Anderson and Jim Laub have been selected by the board of trustees of the Intermountain Foundation to serve as the organization’s new board leaders.

Anderson was selected as the foundation’s new chair. He succeeds Utah businessman and philanthropist Kem Gardner who stepped down from the board after seven years of service. Laub assumes Anderson’s previous role as vice chair. He has been a member of the Intermountain Foundation board since 2012.

“We are privileged to have two of Utah’s most respected leaders guiding our board,” said David Flood, Intermountain Foundation president and system senior vice president/chief development officer. “Their deep knowledge and respect for our growing community, combined with a shared desire to broaden Intermountain Foundation’s presence and impact will further dignify and build upon the incredible work begun by our founding chair, Kem Gardner.”

The Intermountain Foundation’s Board of Trustees is comprised of individuals who volunteer their time and expertise to oversee important community fundraising programs, while providing stewardship of funds contributed within Intermountain Healthcare. The Intermountain Foundation’s board oversees 13 local charitable community development boards, helping to build wide-ranging partnerships and inspire charitable giving to the not-for-profit Foundation.

Gifts to the Intermountain Foundation help fuel a range of funding for clinical programs, create new and improved spaces for patient care, fund cutting-edge technologies, facilitate research and innovation, train physicians and other caregivers, and enhance the patient experience—enabling Intermountain Healthcare to help people live the healthiest lives possible, while striving to keep care affordable.

Anderson joined the Intermountain Foundation board in 2012. He is president and chief executive officer ofZions First National Bank. Active in community affairs, Anderson currently serves on the boards of several business and not-for-profit organizations, including Intermountain Healthcare, where he serves as chair emeritus.

Anderson has received numerous awards, including the Salt Lake Chamber’s “Giant in our City” and Junior Achievement of Utah’s Business Hall of Fame Laureate. He has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and economics from Columbia University in New York, and a master’s degree in economics and international studies from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Laub is president and CEO of Cache Valley Electric, an international electrical contracting firm, based in Logan. In addition to his work on the Intermountain Foundation board, Laub has served on the Intermountain board from 2009-2016. A graduate of Utah State University, Laub received an honorary doctorate degree in business and entrepreneurship from Utah State and was the recipient of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame Contribution to Amateur Football Award. Have you checked out Dr. Harrison’s ‘Thanks for Asking’ podcast? Intermountain caregivers ask questions of CEO Marc Harrison, MD

This podcast features caregivers from across Intermountain asking questions of Intermountain CEO Marc Harrison, MD. Caregivers can request to join the podcast and ask their question by emailing [email protected].

In a recent podcast, Dr. Harrison and two caregivers discuss how Intermountain can better meet the needs of diverse patients, as well as how Intermountain can attract diverse caregivers.

Recent Intermountain research news New research projects receive funding

Intermountain researchers present at American Thoracic Society conference. Intermountain Healthcare researchers presented at the annual international conference for the American Thoracic Society in May in Dallas.

• Do family members belong in ICU during procedures with loved ones? New Intermountain study finds clinicians mixed about practice

• New computer-based predictive tool more accurately forecasts outcomes for respiratory patients helping clinicians provide best course of care, study finds

• New risk scores help physicians provide better care for high-risk pulmonary patients, Intermountain study finds

Intermountain Research and Medical Foundation announces second quarter funding for research projects. The Intermountain Research and Medical Foundation (IRMF) has approved funding for three projects submitted in the second quarter of 2019. The research projects will attempt to discover a set of observable characteristics of a type of heart failure in adult ICU patients with sepsis, implement a series of intervention activities to improve hand hygiene compliance, and study the heart valve in patients who received a TAVR or Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement to understand exactly how well the TAVR procedures have succeeded.

Intermountain researchers publish exploratory study that uses Instagram data. Two Intermountain caregivers were published for their exploratory research assessing photo surveillance on social media as a method to examine trends in diabetes and as a tool to report on continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The study looked at photographs posted on Instagram with the hashtag #dexcom and was originally published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance.

Intermountain joins PCORnet’s Greater Plains Collaborative. Intermountain Healthcare has recently become one of 12 institutions contributing to the Greater Plains Collaborative (GPC), facilitating the relationship with investigators at participating institutions. Nationally, GPC is one of 33 Patient-Centered Outcomes Research networks (PCORnet) originally established through PCORI and continuing today under the People-Centered Research Foundation.

Intermountain studying the effects of antibiotic stewardship initiatives in our urgent cares. How can we improve antibiotic prescribing in the urgent care setting? And how will implementing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s antibiotic stewardship best practices affect antimicrobial resistance? Those are the questions Intermountain researchers hope to answer in a new study that entered its implementation phase on July 1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded a $1.8 million contract to Intermountain and the for the study.

ACCESS

Intermountain teams with surgeons to negotiate lower prices on supplies Value-based care a major focus of Intermountain in every aspect of the services it provides

To help lower healthcare costs, Intermountain’s Supply Chain and Musculoskeletal Clinical Program teamed with surgeons last year to help reduce $3.6 million on supply expenses.

While the reduced cost may save patients money up front, the overall goal is that savings can be passed on to patients through lower premiums and reduced prices in other areas of medicine.

“Some of the prices we negotiated were 40 percent lower than our previous prices,” said Casey Leavitt, executive clinical director of the Intermountain Musculoskeletal Clinical Program. “For example, if a patient with a fracture uses one of our on-contract lower-cost devices, that could mean a substantial savings to that patient.”

Leaders of Intermountain’s Musculoskeletal Clinical Program and Intermountain Supply Chain said one of the biggest keys to the success of these price reductions was getting surgeons involved in the process.

“Knowing that the savings would be going back to patients really helped motivate the surgeons to participate,” said Nate Momberger, MD, associate medical director for total joint replacement for Intermountain and orthopedic surgeon. “We want to help our patients save money, so adding that financial incentive is a big motivator.”

The three specific tactics physicians chose to help reduce costs:

1. Reduce the number of suppliers of bone cement. 2. Negotiate price reductions with implant suppliers. 3. Ask each physician to reduce their individual supply cost per case by a specific dollar amount based on how they compared to peers.

Leavitt said that while similar efforts to reduce costs in the past were met with limited success, involving physicians in the process and asking them to help make decisions, made the difference.

“We asked the surgeons that if a supplier isn’t willing to meet our capped price, are they willing to back us up and tell the supplier they’re out of the system, and they said ‘absolutely,’” said Leavitt. “We even had surgeons calling reps and suppliers to say, “Hey, we’re serious. If you don’t come to the table with this discount and everyone else does, I won’t be able to use your products anymore.”

Surgeons say once the numbers were laid out in front of them the decision became easy. Being able to see the cost comparison of materials all at once gave them the information needed to make the best choices for procedures.

“We always want to use materials that give the best health outcomes, but when we can get them at a lower cost then we’re truly giving our patients value-based care,” said Dr. Momberger.

As cost becomes a bigger factor in how patients choose healthcare services, Intermountain understands keeping the price of supplies in check is vital. Value-based care is a major focus of Intermountain in every aspect of the services it provides.

Leaders in Intermountain’s Musculoskeletal Clinical Program are now trying similar cost-cutting methods for total shoulder replacements. They’ve already surpassed their 2019 savings goal and are now looking at implementing the program for other procedures.

How One Intermountain improves care One Intermountain structure allows more savings, efficiency, and improved care

One Intermountain helps expand access for patients who need CT and MRI contrast exams. When Imaging was reorganized into a One Intermountain team, the various Imaging units across the system compared how they dealt with several issues, including after-hour appointments. Inconsistencies were found, so caregivers—including radiologists, emergency services, and imaging leadership—worked toward standardization and improved access, looking for ways to reduce the backlog of patients who needed services. Setting up contracts with Emergency Department providers was one way to increase access and consistency.

From Riverton Hospital, here are the key results for the facility:

• The amount of available scheduled hours for CT exams and MRI contrast exams has increased considerably at Riverton thanks to the One Intermountain standardization, with appointments now being offered from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.—an increase of 54 available hours for CT exams and 30 hours for MRI contrast exams.

• In addition to those regularly scheduled hours, the exams can technically be offered 24 hours a day when necessary because Emergency Department doctors can now be the onsite supervising physicians at Riverton.

• The Riverton Imaging team now offers MRI contrast exams on Saturday, too. They couldn’t offer any Saturday appointments before.

• Certain specialty exams, like contrast exams, were only offered a few hours a day in some facilities. But thanks to Imaging’s One Intermountain structure, they’re now offered at all facilities any time there’s a supervising Emergency Department physician available. STEWARDSHIP

Intermountain Governance Office begins launch of system-wide board portal One Intermountain Board Governance Plan works to enhance and improve the trustee experience

Beginning in July, Intermountain will implement Nasdaq’s Boardvantage solution as a system- wide board portal. This new development is significant: each board—wherever it is in the system—can now adopt the governance best practice of using an electronic portal.

Nasdaq’s Boardvantage portal is a customizable solution that is secure, robust, and intuitive with dedicated customer support. Each board will have its own team space. From there, trustees can access board books and materials electronically. And the portal will serve as an interconnected central repository of important governance documents.

The portal promises to serve as a one-stop shop for all our board needs. In addition to board team spaces, the portal features a One Intermountain Governance team space. Over time, this site will replace the Trustee Resource Center in its entirety, serve as the platform for trustee communications, and house the One Intermountain Board Governance Plan, along with its growing Guidance and Resources.

Given Intermountain’s many boards, the Governance Office will implement the portal on a rolling basis. We begin in early July with the northern community boards, move on with the majority of the boards in late July and August, and finish with the Foundation and its related boards in early September.

Each implementation phase starts with administrator user training. These administrator users include board liaisons and their executive assistants and support staff. After the administrator users are trained, trustees can expect to see email invitations to register for end-user training and the portal in August and September.

Using a portal or moving from one electronic portal to another is easy for the end user. Typically, end users are proficient on the Nasdaq Boardvantage portal after one 30-minute webinar. Nasdaq offers these 30-minute webinars every Tuesday and Thursday. The Governance Office aims to complete full implementation before the end of the third quarter.

This new system-wide portal is in line with our One Intermountain Board Governance Plan and the Governance Office’s work to enhance the trustee experience—to give trustees the tools when, where, and how they need to perform their best. If you have any questions, please contact Intermountain’s Governance Office at (801) 442-3584 [email protected] . Governance Office welcomes new trustees to inaugural system-wide onboarding ‘One Intermountain’ applies to governance, too

Intermountain’s Governance Office welcomed new trustees to an inaugural system-wide Trustee Onboarding training in June—trustees from Cassia Regional Hospital Board in the north to Dixie Regional Medical Center Board in the southwest—and from nearly every board in between.

Trustees networked at an evening reception the night before at the home of Intermountain president and CEO Marc Harrison, MD, and his wife Mary Carole Harrison, MD. And Gail Miller, board chair, set the tone for the training.

“‘One Intermountain’ means Intermountain provides a consistent, extraordinary experience no matter when or how someone interacts with us,” she said. “And no matter where we’re located, we act as one coordinated team. Rest assured, One Intermountain applies to governance, too.”

The One Intermountain Board Governance Plan represents Intermountain’s commitment to good governance across the system. The plan guides our consistent deployment of best practices, continued improvement, useful tools, and dedicated support to maximize the trustee experience.

“As trustees, we are privileged to be part of the lifesaving work in helping govern Intermountain,” said Miller. “As Intermountain moves forward, the importance of your support as trustees can’t be overstated.”

Onboarding training sessions included:

• Introduction to Intermountain: Ann Millner, EdD, Intermountain Board Vice Chair and Nominating and Governance Committee Chair • Intermountain Overview—Its Mission, Vision, Values, and Fundamentals: Dr. Harrison • Intermountain’s Strategies and Goals: Rob Allen, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer • One Intermountain Governance: Joe Loosle, Governance Office Director • Governance Standard 4: On Being an Intermountain Fiduciary: Greg Matis, Deputy General Counsel • Compliance: Suzie Draper, Business Ethics and Compliance Vice President • Community Health: Pat Jones, Intermountain Community Care Foundation Chair • Executive Nurse Liaison Services: Jessica Carlisle, MSN, RN • Governance Standard 8: Trustee Resources to Engage and Improve: Joe Loosle • Governance Standard 5: Philanthropy—Inspiring Generosity: Jimmy Martello, Intermountain Healthcare Foundation Vice President

To help trustees understand the importance of their role in quality, safety, and patient experience, trustees also toured—and experienced—the Intermountain Simulation Center at LDS Hospital, led by Patricia Ravert, PhD, RN, Intermountain Healthcare Board and Utah Valley Hospitals Board Trustee, and Mike Woodruff, MD, Office of Patient Experience Senior Medical Director. EVENTS AND RECOGNITION

Save the date: Healthy Dialogues on August 13 Lecture series brings national healthcare leaders to Utah to engage in health policy conversations

Kathrine Switzer is the guest speaker at Intermountain’s Healthy Dialogues luncheon Tuesday, August 13, at the Marriott City Center Hotel, 220 S. State Street, Salt Lake City. The event begins at noon. There is no cost to attend, but seating is limited and by invitation only; RSVP is required by Wednesday, August 7. To reserve your seat, please call 801-442-2895 or register online.

Iconic athlete, sports and social advocate, author, and Emmy award-winning television commentator, Switzer was the first woman to officially enter and run the Boston Marathon. She has been honored widely for her achievements, including being inducted into the USA National Women’s Hall of Fame, for creating positive social change. The ramifications of her work are both joyful and profound, changing forever the face of sports, health and opportunities for women around the world. In 2011 she was inducted into the U.S.A. National Women’s Hall of Fame; not just for breaking barriers, but also for creating positive global social change.

Switzer received both her bachelor’s (‘68) and master’s (‘72) degrees from the Syracuse University Newhouse School of Communications, and serves on the Board of Advisors at Syracuse University’s Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics. In 2006 Switzer was awarded the Arents Award, Syracuse University’s highest award given to honor an alum.

Intermountain CEO named one of 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives Dr. Harrison ranked No. 7 on 2019 list

Intermountain CEO Marc Harrison, MD, has been named to Modern Healthcare’s 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives list for 2019. The annual recognition acknowledges clinicians working in the healthcare industry who are deemed by their peers and an expert panel to be the most influential in terms of leadership and impact.

Dr. Harrison ranked No. 7, which means this is the third straight year he’s been among the nation’s top 10. His presence is especially noteworthy considering more than half of all 2018 honorees, including five of the top 10, weren’t included in 2019.Modern Healthcare credited Harrison’s role in Intermountain’s opioid stewardship, patient safety improvements, and increased patient access programming, stating, “Under Dr. Harrison’s leadership, Intermountain took a bold stand in the fight against opioid addiction, with a 30 percent drop in opioid prescriptions for acute pain in 2018. That amounted to 3.8 million fewer pills. Intermountain also reduced hospital-acquired infections by 43 percent. Dr. Harrison oversaw structural changes at Intermountain, including expanding physician clinic hours, resulting in more access for patients.” Primary Children’s ranked as one of nation’s best children’s hospitals in eight specialties U.S. News & World Report recognizes hospital in eight specialties

U.S. News & World Report has ranked Primary Children’s Hospital as one of the nation’s best children’s hospitals in eight specialties, according to the publication’s new 2019-2020 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings.

“We’re honored to continue to be recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation’s best children’s hospitals,” said Primary Children’s administrator Katy Welkie. “This report not only showcases our unwavering commitment to the philosophy, ‘The Child First and Always,’ but also helps push us to continue finding ways to improve.”

U.S. News & World Report ranks the top 50 children’s hospitals in 10 specialties, which also include pulmonology and diabetes & endocrine disorders. Primary Children’s is ranked in the following pediatric specialties:

• Neurology and Neurosurgery (27th) • Cancer (30th) • Neonatal Care (32nd) • Gastroenterology and GI surgery (33rd) • Orthopedics (37th) • Cardiology and Heart Surgery (41st) • Urology (42nd) • Nephrology (44th)

U.S. News first introduced the Best Children’s Hospitals rankings in 2007 to help families of children with rare or life-threatening illnesses find the best medical care available. Primary Children’s rankings have been strong for the past several years.

“Primary Children’s is dedicated to high-quality, compassionate care for children, and the notion of continuous improvement is in the DNA here,” said Angelo Giardino, MD, PhD, chair of the University of Utah School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics and chief medical officer at Primary Children’s. “All of our caregivers aspire to give their best each day, and as an institution we aspire to be one of nation’s best.”

The ranking methodology considers clinical outcomes including mortality and infection rates, efficiency and coordination of care delivery, and compliance with best practices. This year’s rankings will be published in the U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Hospitals 2020” guidebook and available in bookstores in late September.Blagev, a researcher at the University of Utah and Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah.” Intermountain’s finance executive receives national honor Bert Zimmerli honored for seventh year in a row

Bert Zimmerli, Intermountain’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, has been named to Becker’s Hospital Review’s 100 Hospital CFOs to Know list. It’s the seventh year in a row Zimmerli has been named to Becker’s annual list of health system and hospital financial leaders who are playing an integral role in their organization’s strategic planning, growth and transactions.

“Mr. Zimmerli joined Intermountain Healthcare in 2003 after spending time as executive vice president and CFO of Methodist Hospital System in Houston,” Becker’s reported. He oversees the health system’s insurance and health plan operations, information systems and new business development planning. In addition to his role with Intermountain, Mr. Zimmerli serves on the board of Intalere, a group purchasing organization, and chairs the board of ExceleraRx, a specialty pharmacy company.”

Chief information security officer recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review Publication highlights outstanding efforts of healthcare cybersecurity experts

Karl West, Intermountain’s chief information security officer, has been named to Becker’s Hospital Review’s 61 Hospital and Health System CISOs to Know list in 2019. The publication highlights the outstanding efforts of CISOs across the country who are experts in healthcare cybersecurity and manage teams who specialize in keeping patient and provider data safe.

Marc Probst, Intermountain’s vice president and chief information officer, said, “Karl exemplifies the spirit of Intermountain’s Care Transformation Information Systems team. Thank you and congratulations to Karl and the hundreds of talented caregivers who work each day to support Intermountain’s elite operational performance and patient experience. Your efforts truly help people live the healthiest lives possible.”

Gail Miller honored in Washington, D.C. for civic service Chair of Intermountain’s Board of Trustees recognized for philanthropy, community work

Gail Miller, chair of Intermountain’s Board of Trustees, was recognized in Washington, D.C., for her community work in Utah with young people. The Joint Leadership Commission of the Congressional Award Foundation and its board of directors honored Miller with the Horizon Award during a ceremony in June.

The award was presented by U.S. Senator Mitt Romney, who said, “Gail is not only a pillar in our community, but an example who serves with grace and with commitment and with personal strength.” U.S. Senator Mike Lee said no one represents the state “quite so well, quite so nobly, quite so boldly” as Gail Miller. She was recognized for her many contributions, which include everything from philanthropy and civic service to providing Thanksgiving meals for the homeless and full scholarships to 40 or so for University of Utah students who can’t afford college. In her acceptance speech, Miller said she believes everyone has a mission to fulfill in their daily work, and people shouldn’t be defined by fame or how much money they make, but by the good they do and the relationships they foster.

Five Intermountain hospitals honored by American Heart Association Facilities recognized for using up-to-date, evidence-based treatment protocols for stroke care patients

Five Intermountain hospitals have been recognized by the American Heart Association for using up-to-date, evidence-based treatment protocols for stroke care patients by following the “Get With the Guidelines” quality improvement program.

McKay-Dee Hospital, Intermountain Medical Center, , and Dixie Regional Medical Center received the Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, while received Stroke Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award honors.

The Get with the Guidelines program is a collection of nationally accepted evidence-based standards and recommendations for stroke care. The hospitals all also received Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll status, which recognizes their delivery of clot-busting drugs to patients who have an acute ischemic stroke within 60 minutes of their arrival in the ED for 75 percent of eligible patients, and within 45 minutes of ED arrival for 50 percent of eligible patients.

The awards also signify that the honored hospitals have reached the goal of treating patients with 85 percent or higher compliance to core standard levels of care as outlined by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association for at least one calendar year. In addition, those hospitals have demonstrated 75 percent compliance to (seven out of 10 stroke quality measures) during the year. Gold Plus Achievement Award recipients have maintained those high standards of care for a 24-month period.

“Congratulations to the caregivers involved in stroke care at these hospitals,” said Cory McCann, RN, executive clinical director for the Neurosciences Clinical Program. “These awards demonstrate their commitment to delivering evidence-based care to patients experiencing stroke.”

In 2018, American Fork and Utah Valley Hospital were selected by the Neurosciences Clinical Program and ED/Trauma operations as pilot sites for a systemwide push to improve treatment times for patients with acute ischemic stroke using continuous improvement methods. All five hospitals have now adopted these methods, which leverage ideas from front-line caregivers to improve treatment times.

“Ongoing team contributions, collaboration across clinical programs and hospital operations, and a commitment to daily improvement methods embedded in the daily work of frontline caregivers have enabled Intermountain hospitals to achieve and sustain this national recognition,” McCann said. Intermountain recognized for commitment to patient safety in clinical research studies Designation considered the gold standard for institutions involved in clinical research

Intermountain has earned top accreditation from the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs for ensuring the highest level of protection for participants in Intermountain clinical research studies. The designation is considered the gold standard for institutions involved in clinical research.

In receiving the accreditation, Intermountain joins the more than 70 percent of U.S. medical colleges and 85 percent of the top National Institutes of Health-funded academic medical centers, which are either accredited by the organization or have begun the accreditation process.

“Our focus is the patient, and everything we do is aimed at getting people back to health,” said Raj Srivastava, MD, MPH, associate vice president of research. “This designation signifies the commitment our organization and researchers have to investigate and improve patient health through innovation and discovery, ultimately delivering better care to the people we serve.”

There are now nearly 850 clinical studies underway by Intermountain researchers in more than 15 different clinical areas. Intermountain researchers and clinicians published 426 articles in peer- reviewed journals last year.

Sanpete Valley Hospital CEO honored for leadership Aaron Wood honored by Utah Department of Health’s Office of Primary Care and Rural Health

Aaron Wood, CEO, has been awarded the Rural Hospital CEO of the Year Award from the Utah Department of Health’s Office of Primary Care and Rural Health at the Rural Hospital Administrators Summit. The award is presented to an individual who’s shown excellence in implementing innovative healthcare delivery models and programs.

Wood was recognized for stabilizing and improving operations and financial performance at Sanpete Valley Hospital. Greg Rosenvall, Utah Hospital Association rural hospital improvement director, said, “Aaron’s effective leadership includes physician recruitment (a general surgeon), innovative patient care models (use of physician assistants for emergency department coverage and a hospitalist for inpatient coverage), quality of care metrics (HCAHPS) by prioritizing and fostering a team approach, and one of the highest, if not the highest, scores for employee satisfaction with Intermountain Healthcare.” Intermountain in the news Recent news stories about Intermountain in the national and international media

American Hospital Association News, June 3, 2019: Intermountain CEO to Receive TRUST Award at AHA Leadership Summit “The AHA Center for Innovation will present the 2019 TRUST Award to Marc Harrison, MD, president and CEO of Intermountain Healthcare, for his visionary leadership in helping contribute to a society of healthy communities where each individual reaches their highest potential for health.”

YAHOO!, June 4, 2019: New Podcast Series Focuses on How Leaders Cultivate Partnerships to Drive Value and Transform Health “A future-focused strategy is a key ingredient to remain competitive. Understanding the health and wellness needs of the community brings clarity to partnership opportunities, said Robert Allen, senior vice president and COO at Intermountain Healthcare.”

Men’s Health, June 5, 2019: What Serious Runners and Lifters Should Know About ‘Athlete’s Heart’ “There’s a sweet spot of moderation in which we can maximize our health from a cardiovascular standpoint, said Jared Bunch, MD, medical director of heart rhythm services for the Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute…”

Forbes Magazine, June 5, 2019: America’s Best Employers By State Intermountain Healthcare is named to the list of Utah’s best employers

NBC Nightly News, June 5, 2019: Freak Accident at Utah Pool Sickens Dozens With Chlorine Gas “American Fork Hospital ER doctor Nathan Miller [said] that he treated patients who inhaled the gas and some could have chronic respiratory issues.”

U.S. News & World Report, June 6, 2019: U.S. News Unveils Speakers For 2019 Healthcare of Tomorrow Conference Marc Harrison, MD, president and CEO, Intermountain Healthcare will speak at the conference.

HealthLeaders, June 7, 2019: Delaying Sepsis Antibiotics in ER Increases Odds of Mortality “The fact that the association was fairly linear suggests there is no acceptable window of delay, said Ithan Peltan, MD … at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah.”

Bloomberg, June 11, 2019: DNA Map Project for 500,000 Patients Planned by Hospital Group “The hospital system Intermountain Healthcare is embarking on a major study of people’s genomes to better determine how an individual’s hereditary makeup affects the way they respond to medical treatments.”

PBS, June 11, 2019: Blockchain in Medicine Featuring BurstIQ, Intermountain Healthcare and Empiric Health “In PBS’ first episode featuring blockchain, the show follows healthcare blockchain innovator BurstIQ along with partners Intermountain Healthcare and Empiric Health, highlighting how blockchain technology is being used to improve healthcare operations.”

Becker’s Hospital Review, June 11, 2019: Intermountain, R1 RCM Collaborate to Launch Salt Lake Tech Center “Their new center will provide Intermountain and all R1 customers with an opportunity to leverage cutting-edge workflows that will improve service and help make healthcare more customer-friendly, digitally enabled and affordable, Intermountain CFO Bert Zimmerli [said].”

Fortune magazine, June 12, 2019: Intermountain Launches a 500,000-Person DNA Study “While the 500,000 samples will be collected primarily from patients in Utah, the research is expected to have a global impact as medications, treatments, and healthcare innovations that can benefit patients universally are developed from the findings, said Lincoln Nadauld, Intermountain’s chief of precision health, in a statement.”

USA Today, June 13, 2019: News From Around Our 50 States “Salt Lake City: The largest DNA mapping study in U.S. history is about to launch from Utah with the stated goal of changing the way health care providers approach diseases. In a press conference Wednesday, officials with Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare announced a “groundbreaking” DNA initiative and project it will undertake with deCODE genetics, a biopharmaceutical company based in Iceland. The five-year study will involve the collection of DNA samples from more than 500,000 participants – most of whom will be Utahns. Individuals will be invited to participate in the study for free, and enrollment is already open. The results of the DNA mapping will be returned to patients if researchers find a gene they know puts their family at risk for cancer or other genetic diseases.”

HealthLeaders, June 14, 2019: Health System Targets Gun Safety to Prevent Suicide “Intermountain healthcare is tackling a daunting suicide prevention challenge – limiting access to guns for people in crisis.”

Forbes, June 14, 2019: How Medicaid Expansion Prevents Child Abuse “As health professionals, we must encourage parents of our patients to enroll in the social programs that support child well- being, Dr. Kristine Campbell … at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, wrote in a JAMA Network Open Commentary.”

The Wall Street Journal, June 19, 2019: FTC Approves UnitedHealth’s $4.3 Billion Purchase of DaVita Physicians Group “The FTC said Wednesday UnitedHealth has agreed to divest a primary- care practice in the Las Vegas region known as HealthCare Partners Nevada to Utah-based Intermountain Healthcare.”

Reuters, June 19, 2019: UnitedHealth Gets PTC Approval for DaVita Unit Purchase “The FTC approved the deal on condition that it sell a Las Vegas facility to Utah-based Intermountain Healthcare.”

CNBC, June 19, 2019: UnitedHealth Gets PTC Approval for DaVita Unit Purchase “The FTC approved the deal on condition that it sell a Las Vegas facility to Utah-based Intermountain Healthcare.”

The New York Times, June 19, 2019: E-Cigarette Exploded in a Teenager’s Mouth, Damaging His Jaw “I had no idea that these vape pens could blow up and cause serious injury, said Dr. Katie Russell, director of the trauma center at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City…I think there’s a health concern.” CNN, June 19, 2019: This Teen’s Vape Exploded, Shattering His Jaw “People need to know before they buy these devices that there’s a possibility they’re going to blow up in your pocket, in your face, said Dr. Katie Russell, the trauma medical director at Primary Children’s Hospital who first treated the boy.”

Fox News Channel, June 20, 2019: Vape Pen Explodes Shattering Teen’s Teeth, Jaw “She rushed him to a local hospital but due to the severity of his injuries, he was transferred over 200 miles away to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City.”

Newsweek Magazine, June 20, 2019: E-Cigarette Explodes in Teen’s Mouth, Blowing Up His Teeth and Breaking His Jaw “Dr. Katie Russell, a pediatric trauma surgeon at the University of Utah and Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, told Newsweek the facility’s ENT surgeon…had to plate his lower jaw and wire it shut for six weeks while it healed.”

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