Intermountain Trustee AN EMAIL BRIEFING FOR INTERMOUNTAIN HEALTHCARE TRUSTEES

October 2019

INTERMOUNTAIN INITIATIVES

Civica Rx’s first medication goes to patient at Riverton Hospital Drug costs less than half of what it had before

The first medication produced by Civica Rx was given to a patient at Intermountain’s Riverton Hospital in early October. The drug, vancomycin, an IV antibiotic that’s been in short supply for years, costs less than half of what it had before.

Drug shortages, specifically involving life-saving medications used in hospitals, have been affecting patients all over the country, which is why Intermountain joined with more than 40 health systems, representing more than 1,000 hospitals in 46 states, to form Civica Rx as a nonprofit drug company that will provide generic medications to hospitals at a fraction of the cost.

“This is great news for patients in Utah,” said Dan Liljenquist, Intermountain’s senior vice president and chief strategy officer, as well as head of the board at Civica Rx. “Some drug manufacturers have been widely criticized for unwarranted and arbitrary price increases and for creating artificial shortages of vital medications for patients. These activities have resulted in some generic drugs increasing in cost by more than 1,000 percent in just a few months for seemingly no reason. Civica Rx aims to fix this problem.”

Intermountain alone anticipates savings of more than half a million dollars over the next year by purchasing medication through Civica, Liljenquist said, and more savings are expected in the years to come.

Vancomycin is only the first of many affordable drugs Civica will release. The company expects to announce the availability of another 15 products before the end of the year, including another powerful antibiotic called daptomycin that will be available shortly. Participating hospitals can expect to receive orders of vancomycin before the end of the month and daptomycin soon after. Another 40 medications are planned for release next year. Caregivers develop new cardio-oncology program Program designed for cancer patients at risk for heart problems

Intermountain’s Cardiovascular and Oncology Clinical Programs have developed a new cardio- oncology program to help people who undergo cancer treatment and face increased risk of developing heart problems or who already had heart problems before their cancer treatment.

Some cancer treatments, including radiation to the chest and certain types of chemotherapy, may increase the risk for heart disease. Heart complications can occur during cancer therapy or may develop decades after treatment.

The Intermountain Cardio-Oncology Program team includes cardiologists, oncologists, and radiation oncologists who collaborate to provide comprehensive, coordinated care for people with cancer. The project was championed by cardiologist Mike McCulloch, MD, and oncologist Margaret Van Meter, MD, and was led by Heather Rayburn, vascular lab director at Intermountain Medical Center, Colleen Roberts, executive clinical director for the Cardiovascular Clinical Program, and Melissa Banner, RN, cancer services nurse director for the Oncology Clinical Program. The committee working on the project included imaging cardiologists, medical and radiation oncologists, education partners, communication partners, and data manager and analysts from both clinical programs.

One of the most important services provided by the new program is consultations before cancer treatment begins to help assess a patient’s risk for heart complications, especially for people who have a history of, or risk factors for, heart disease. Cardiologists can make recommendations to oncologists to minimize potential heart toxicity from cancer treatments. Additionally, during and after cancer treatment, the team can provide a plan for monitoring heart function, evaluate symptoms that might suggest heart problems, and manage any heart complications that may arise.

“It’s important to note that most chemotherapy medications don’t usually affect the heart,” said Dr. Van Meter. “The risk of heart problems is related to which chemotherapy medications are received, and the risk with those medications is higher for patients who are over age 60 or have other pre-existing conditions that affect the heart, such as such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or obesity.”

Intermountain is one of only a handful of healthcare networks in the nation that currently offers a cardio-oncology program to patients and physicians.

Currently, the Cardio-Oncology program is available at Intermountain Medical Center and LDS Hospital. Intermountain is working to expand the program across the system. UPDATES AND FEATURES

Statewide suicide awareness campaign to launch Campaign meant to engage every level of Utah’s community

A $2 million campaign to change stigmas about mental health in Utah was announced in September by officials from Intermountain Healthcare and government and community leaders.

“We’ve all had a personal journey with this issue,” Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox said at a news conference outside the State Capitol. “All of us have been impacted in some way, whether it’s family members, friends, loved ones, or people in our community who’ve been impacted by suicide. And so while we recognize that the government can’t solve all of our problems, there’s a critical role for government to play in this space.”

The campaign will launch in mid-2020 and is meant to engage every level of Utah’s community, Lt. Gov. Cox said. It will include content on TV, radio, print, social media, and other outlets.

In addition to $1 million contributed by the Utah Legislature, private sector donations for the campaign came from Intermountain Healthcare, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, doTERRA co-founders Greg and Julie Cook, Rocky Mountain Power, University of Utah Health, the Utah Shooting Sports Council, and about $25,000 from individuals who made donations through their tax returns.

“We hope this campaign will advance and modify attitudes and social norms to demonstrably reduce suffering and save lives,” Lt. Gov. Cox said.

Mikelle Moore, Intermountain’s senior vice president of community health and chief community health officer, said the issue of suicide prevention is so large it takes an entire community to address. “We need faith leaders and concerned businesses and schools to all work together if we’re going to make an impact and truly prevent every suicide,” she said.

More than awareness will be required to truly make changes, but awareness is a good place to start, Moore said. “I think awareness is the first step, including understanding the warning signs and knowing our suicide rates are high. And yet, that awareness doesn’t translate into something that makes a difference in the outcomes. We can each be more conscientious about looking for warning signs and locking up firearms so someone in a crisis doesn’t have access to them in our homes or in our friends’ homes,” she said.

“Every single death by suicide is preventable,” Lt. Gov. Cox said. “All of these deaths of despair are preventable, but it’s going to take all of us working together.” Congress praises work to prevent suicides by firearms Intermountain’s Community Health program director speaks at hearing

Intermountain’s work to prevent suicides involving firearms was featured at a recent congressional hearing in Washington, D.C. The U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Subcommittee brought together public health experts from across the country to discuss the consequences and costs of gun violence. Morissa Henn, Intermountain’s Community Health program director, testified about the link between suicides and firearms and presented what Utah is doing as a model for the nation.

During her presentation, Henn spoke about how firearm deaths account for half the suicides in the U.S—and 85 percent of the suicides in Utah.

“We know that reducing access to lethal means for those who are at risk of suicide is a proven, effective tool for prevention,” Henn told the subcommittee. “Suicide rates decline sharply when there’s time and distance between people at risk for suicide and access to firearms.”

A coalition of different groups in Utah are collaborating on suicide prevention and lethal means reduction, Henn said. “We’ve been fortunate to join a coalition of health professionals, gun owners, and other stakeholders who are working together to prevent firearm suicides in Utah,” she said. “Building productive, trusting relationships with gun owners on suicide has connected the data with culturally-relevant messages regarding access to firearms.”

She shared examples of approaches used by Utah’s suicide prevention coalition, including training to help clinicians intervene with high-risk patients, research related to firearms and suicide, Utah’s Safe Harbor Law, and a new $2 million media and education campaign that addresses the issue of suicide and how reducing lethal means access can save lives.

“While we don’t fully know whether the interventions in individual states like ours impact suicidal behavior, the short-term wins have created momentum,” said Henn. “We’re optimistic that such efforts, at scale, will ultimately contribute to reductions in suicide rates.”

Lawmakers in the hearing said they were impressed to see meaningful results from Intermountain’s work in Utah.

“Listening to this entire conversation really brings it home,” said Rep. Jackie Walorski from Indiana. “I’m really impacted by the fact that you’re actually talking about a community that has brought shareholders to the table, with gun owners and health professionals coming together to talk.”

Henn said at the hearing, “By moving outside of our comfort zones we’ve been able to find a common denominator: We’re all universally horrified there are so many gun deaths, and we all want our loved ones to be safe. We’ve found a level of trust with different groups, including gun owners, because neither side has a monopoly on grief from losing a loved one. It doesn’t matter how you feel about the issue of guns or whether you own guns, there’s that common horror. And that becomes a common hope. We can come together and look for ways to save lives.”

Watch the entire hearing here. Henn’s testimony begins at 1:06:36. Homecare, HerediGene recent ‘Thanks for Asking’ topics CEO Dr. Marc Harrison talks with caregivers in podcast discussions

During recent “Thanks for Asking” podcasts, CEO Marc Harrison, MD, talked with caregivers about topics including Homecare, LiVe Well, HerediGene, and tele-oncology.

The Role of Rural Homecare

Dr. Harrison spoke with Cyntea Anderson, RN, a Homecare & Hospice nurse who works in rural Millard County, about the role Homecare & Hospice plays in the future of Intermountain, particularly in rural areas.

Visiting a patient’s home can help caregivers gain a better understanding of all the social factors that can contribute to a person’s health, Anderson said, including social, financial, emotional, and mental situations. Dr. Harrison said addressing these types of social determinants of health is an important part of the future of healthcare.

Getting Active

Skye Moench had a promising career as a tax accountant at a prominent accounting firm when she decided to give it all up to become a professional athlete. She recently won first place in the Ironman Europe Championship and is member of the LiVe Well triathlon team. She spoke to Dr. Harrison about her experiences and shared some advice for anyone who’s thinking about getting more active.

What’s HerediGene?

During another “Thanks for Asking” podcast, Dr. Harrison spoke to Lincoln Nadauld, MD, PhD, Intermountain’s chief of precision genomics, about HerediGene, Intermountain’s groundbreaking five-year DNA study to find new links between genetics and disease.

They discussed details about the study, which launched this summer and will involve the collection of half a million DNA samples. Dr. Nadauld said many healthcare organizations are very interested in genomics, but few are as far along in the work as Intermountain. Our HerediGene population study is the largest, most comprehensive DNA mapping study in the U.S. and possibly the largest in the world.

Does Tele-oncology Work?

When oncologist Derrick Haslem, MD, was first asked to start a tele-oncology program for Intermountain, he doubted it could work. But when he heard cancer patients in rural Utah were choosing death rather than traveling long distances to see specialists, he agreed to give it a try—and he’s glad he did. He talked about his experience in a “Thanks for Asking” discussion with Dr. Harrison.

You can find this and all other Thanks for Asking podcasts atintermountainhealthcare.org/ podcasts, in iTunes, and wherever you get your podcasts. Recent Intermountain research news Research projects receive funding

Precision Genomics sponsors research projects pioneering precision medicine through genomic innovation grants. Intermountain Precision Genomics is working to boost research, innovation, and advancement in genomic research by awarding up to $200,000 in translational science services for biomedical research collaborations with other institutions.

Here’s why Intermountain’s antibiotic stewardship efforts are important and how you can help. Hear how Intermountain is leading the way in reducing the unnecessary use of antibiotics and how you can help reduce antibiotic resistance in this “Thanks for Asking” podcast with CEO Marc Harrison, MD.

Editorial published in Journal of Hospital Medicine. Three Intermountain caregivers published an editorial in the Journal of Hospital Medicine, “The Hospitalist Imperative: Standardizing Best Practice across Expanding Healthcare Networks.” The article states challenges of standardization for hospitalists including mixed models of reimbursement and healthcare mergers and acquisitions, citing that 2018 saw a 14 percent increase from 2017.

Three medical research grants awarded by the Intermountain Research and Medical Foundation in third quarter 2019. The Intermountain Research and Medical Foundation announced the funding for three research projects in the third quarter of 2019. The grants will go toward:

• studying septic myocardial dysfunction in ICU patients who undergo echocardiography within 72 hours of admission. • researching familial and genetic risk of small bowel adenocarcinomas (SBA) • running a clinical effectiveness trial to assess the feasibility of using a home respiratory monitor that is designed to alert patients to opioid induced respiratory depression (OIRD) following a discharge from the hospital after major orthopedic surgery

ACCESS

Op-ed: Rural Utah would face ‘dearth’ of healthcare services without telehealth, charity care Chair of Intermountain’s Salt Lake Hospitals Board writes op-ed praising organization’s work

Rural hospitals are closing at an alarming rate across the country—leaving many people without adequate healthcare coverage and irrevocably harming local economies. But thanks in part to Intermountain Healthcare, Utah has largely escaped the alarming trend. That’s the message shared in a recent op-ed for The Salt Lake Tribune written by James “Cid” Seidelman, PhD, a professor of economics and former provost at Salt Lake City-based Westminster College. Dr. Seidelman is also chair of Intermountain’s Salt Lake Hospitals Board. Challenges faced by rural hospitals include lower volumes because of declining populations and an ever-increasing reliance on charity care, write-offs, and Medicare and Medicaid—which pay hospitals at below-market rates, Dr. Seidelman said.

“Since 2010, almost 100 rural hospitals across the U.S. have closed and some analysts predict many more hospitals nationally will close or merge with larger healthcare systems,” he said. But, he added, no rural hospitals in Utah have been forced to close.

Intermountain has been able to bolster the strength and stability not only of the nine hospitals and 23 medical clinics we operate in rural communities, but also multiple other rural hospitals across Utah and in the surrounding states. This support comes in part through our telehealth services, which allow rural patients to access healthcare specialists without having to travel to large urban hospitals.

Dr. Seidelman added that Intermountain’s charity care has greatly helped rural healthcare access by providing high-quality care regardless of a patient’s ability to pay.

“[In] rural Utah there would be a dearth of hospitals and healthcare services without the commitment of nonprofits such as Intermountain Healthcare and other local community- supported hospitals,” he said. “Utah is fortunate to have a highly innovative integrated healthcare system committed to extraordinary care at an affordable cost serving Utah’s urban and rural communities.”

Read the full op-ed article here. CEO Marc Harrison, MD, also discussed the topic of rural healthcare in an article in the Harvard Business Review earlier this year. That article is available here.

STEWARDSHIP

Harvard Business Review features article by Intermountain president and CEO Sustainability a vital part of organization’s mission

In an Oct. 23 article in the Harvard Business Review, Intermountain Healthcare’s president and CEO Dr. Marc Harrison says many Americans seem to expect politicians or lawmakers to provide a new model for how healthcare is delivered.

“The competing political chants of ‘Repeal Obamacare’ and ‘Medicare For All’ represent the vastly different opinions about how to do this,” said Dr. Harrison. “The real solution is too complex to be reduced to simplified campaign slogans.”

A core element of the solution is the transformational concept of value-based care, said Dr. Harrison, where healthcare providers are compensated for the health and well-being of their patient population rather than for services rendered. “The good news is that change is starting to happen,” said Dr. Harrison. This new transformational model has five core principles.

1. The enemy is disease, and we must speed up the connection between science and patient care.

2. We must be willing to disrupt the traditional for-profit model of pharmaceutical production.

3. We must link healthcare providers and health insurance providers, so that they—and patients—jointly benefit from improving the health of a population.

4. We must reduce the cost of healthcare while at the same time improve care. That again may seem counterintuitive, but it shouldn’t.

5. We must work with the public to confront the social determinants of health.

Read the entire Harvard Business Review article.

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

Intermountain is implementing 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] .

EVENTS AND RECOGNITION

Trustee Forum is Friday, November 15 Board Chair Gail Miller invites all trustees to attend interactive discussions

Intermountain’s Trustee Forum will be Friday, November 15, at the City Creek Marriott in downtown Salt Lake City. If you have not registered, please do so online by Friday, November 1.

This will be an opportunity to have an interactive discussion with fellow trustees and Intermountain leadership—to hear about your successes, your challenges, and how we can help with the important work you’re doing on your boards and in your communities.

We hope you’ll join us for this engaging and informative networking opportunity.

Hospitals honored for excellence at national conference Facilities recognized as national leaders

Eight Intermountain hospitals were honored as national leaders in safety, mortality, effectiveness, efficiency, and patient centeredness at the 2019 Vizient Connections Education Summit in Las Vegas in September.

Vizient is a national organization that enables the country’s best hospitals and healthcare organizations to share data, improve patient care, and explore best practices aimed at improving how healthcare is delivered at its member hospitals and health systems.

American Fork, Logan Regional, and Cedar City hospitals received the Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD, Quality Leadership Award for outstanding performance in the Community Hospitals category. The award honors community hospitals that demonstrate excellence in delivering high-quality care in the areas of safety, mortality, effectiveness, efficiency, and patient centeredness.

While Intermountain’s small community and specialty hospitals didn’t receive Vizient rankings this year, here’s a more detailed breakdown of how Intermountain hospitals were rated across three Vizient cohorts. Community Hospitals:

• American Fork (ranked number 3 out of 95 facilities in the cohort), Logan (4) and Cedar City (6) all received strong and five-star ratings. • LDS Hospital (35) received strong scores in patient centeredness and effectiveness and a three-star overall rating.

Large, Specialized Complex Care Medical Centers:

• McKay-Dee (ranked number 8 out of 79) was ranked number 1 for efficiency, effectiveness, and safety and achieved a four-star rating. • Utah Valley (11) received strong scores in efficiency and effectiveness, good scores in the other domains, and a four-star rating. • Dixie Regional (22) received strong scores in efficiency, effectiveness, safety, and patient centeredness and a three-star rating.

Comprehensive Academic Medical Centers:

• Intermountain Medical Center was ranked 24th out of 93 in this highly competitive category, and received four stars (up from 2018’s three-star rating). IMC is still ranked number 1 in efficiency and effectiveness, with a significant jump in patient safety (now number 7 in that domain).

“Intermountain will be setting new targets for 2020 quality and accountability study rankings for hospitals by the end of October,” said Shannon Phillips, MD, chief experience officer. “This continuation of the excellent work done in 2019 will keep us on track to continue to improve and excel in the coming year and beyond.”

Two caregivers honored by Utah Hospital Association Awards given for contributions to providing quality care

The Utah Hospital Association has recognized two Intermountain caregivers with awards. The awards, presented annually at the association’s leadership conference, honor those who have made significant contributions to providing quality care for the people of Utah.

Distinguished Service to Healthcare Award

Spencer F. Eccles, a member of Intermountain Healthcare’s Board of Trustees and Intermountain Foundation’s Board of Trustees, was presented with the Distinguished Service to Healthcare Award. The award is presented periodically in recognition of contributions to improving healthcare in Utah.

Eccles is CEO of the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation. Under his leadership the foundation has contributed more than half a billion dollars to Utah universities and hospitals, arts and cultural organizations, and community groups and preservation projects. Health and wellness-related donations have accounted for nearly $80 million, benefitting communities across Utah.

Intermountain has benefited from Eccles’ philanthropy in numerous ways. In addition to the contribution of his time and expertise as a trustee, the Eccles Foundation provided the seed money to construct a new Outpatient Services building at Primary Children’s Hospital in 2014. The facility houses dozens of clinics and laboratories, making it a one-stop shop for young children—and their families—who have been diagnosed with life-changing illnesses from diabetes to spina bifida.

Donations like the Eccles’ “changed the trajectory of heath care across the state,” said Katy Welkie, vice president of Children’s Health. “When people see that the Eccles Foundation has put their money toward a project, it makes others more likely to give.”

Distinguished Hospital Executive Award

Joe Mott, vice president and chief operating officer of Specialty-Based Care, received the Distinguished Hospital Executive Award, the association’s highest honor for hospital executives. The award recognizes those who have demonstrated excellence in leadership, service, and professional achievement.

Mott was specifically recognized for his longstanding efforts to ensure all Utahns receive safe, quality, affordable healthcare. He has served in numerous key leadership roles at Intermountain since 1985, including administrator of Primary Children’s Hospital and Intermountain Medical Center. As an executive at Primary Children’s for nearly two decades— serving as CFO, COO and then CEO—Mott helped the hospital attain national attention for quality care and leading affordability. During his tenure he also served as chair of the Child Health Quality Council for the National Association of Children’s Hospitals. In his current role, he is helping to shape the future of care with a focus on providing higher value to patients.

“Joe embodies the spirit of this recognition,” said Rob Allen, chief operating officer. “In all his healthcare leadership roles, Joe has demonstrated a principled approach to decision making. Those of us who have worked with him characterize his management style as aspirational, fair, inclusive, and inquisitive. He models and inspires support, team-work, and successful performance. Thank you and congratulations Joe.”

Intermountain named to ‘Most Wired’ list Designation given by College of Healthcare Information Management Executives

The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) has named Intermountain a 2019 HealthCare’s Most Wired recipient.

“Most Wired” designations are given annually to the hospitals and health systems that are using information technology to improve health and care in their communities. This year’s recognition marks the 19th consecutive year Intermountain has received the honor.

“Being one of HealthCare’s Most Wired for almost two decades is more than just completing a survey,” said Marc Probst, Intermountain’s vice president and chief information officer. “It’s about building relationships between caregivers and technology, processes and people, and supporting tools that make those relationships successful. We do that at Intermountain every day.” CHIME surveyed more than 16,138 global organizations across 8 categories of care to identify 2019’s honorees. The results place Intermountain among elite organizations that are achieving meaningful clinical and efficiency outcomes because of their development of core and advanced technologies. Examples of such technologies include telehealth, price-transparency and cost-analysis tools, access to data at the point of care, and tools to engage patients and their families throughout the care process.

“The healthcare industry is evolving at lightning speed, with many exciting innovations that can truly transform how we deliver care,” said CHIME President and CEO Russ Branzell. “Most Wired gives us a way to gauge where we are, identify best practices that can elevate care everywhere, and recognize those leaders whose pursuit of excellence is driving change in our in our industry.”

Intermountain recognized for green business leadership Sustainability a vital part of organization’s mission

Intermountain received a 2019 Green Business Award from Utah Business Magazine. The award recognizes the system’s initiatives to enhance sustainability efforts and numerous green projects.

The Green Business Awards annually honor the Utah companies, communities, and individuals making the most-meaningful strides in environmental stewardship and innovation. Intermountain was specifically recognized for Green Business Leadership, a nod to the system’s top-down prioritization of sustainability.

Intermountain has become significantly more environmentally conscious in recent years, with efforts dedicated to energy efficiency, plastic and waste reduction, water conservation, reduction of emissions, and more.

Sustainability has become a vital part of Intermountain’s mission, according to Mikelle Moore, senior vice president of community health.

“A part of helping people live the healthiest lives possible is making sure we create cleaner environments in the communities that we serve,” she said. “It’s an honor to have our efforts recognized with this award, and a tribute to our caregivers for their efforts to help us achieve our sustainability goals.”

Steve Bergstrom, Intermountain’s sustainability director, shares Moore’s passion. “At this point there’s no slowing down when it comes to sustainability because in the end, we find it makes us a more efficient and more responsible community partner,” he said. “We’re hoping to show everyone the important role sustainability plays in an organization’s future and community stewardship. It’s not only good for the environment, but also for a businesses’ bottom line.” Intermountain in the news Recent news stories about Intermountain in the national and international media

ABC Good Morning America, September 3, 2019: Is Vaping Marijuana Making People Ill? Intermountain’s Dr. Dixie Harris is interviewed about how she discovered the problem in Utah.

Becker’s Hospital Review, September 4, 2019: 4 Key Aspects of Intermountain’s Push Into Dental “Intermountain Healthcare is integrating dental care into its preventive primary care model based on recent research that indicates that poor oral health may be connected with some chronic illnesses and diseases…”

NBC News, September 5, 2019: Vitamin E Now a Focus of The Investigation Into Some Vaping Illnesses “Lipoid pneumonia was mostly found in the pediatric population from little kids accidentally aspirating petroleum jelly that parents were putting around the noses or the mouth, Dr. Lindsay Leither, who is now a pulmonary and critical care physician with Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City, told NBC News.”

Advisory Board, September 5, 2019: $1.2 Million Saved and Counting: What to Know About Intermountain’s Neonatal Telehealth “Intermountain’s…program reduced transfers by 0.7 per facility month and cut newborn’s odds of being transferred by 29.4%...this corresponded to 67 fewer transfers over the course of the year and savings of over $1.2 million, given the $18,000 price tag per hospital transfer.”

Health IT Analytics, September 6, 2019: Intermountain Using Artificial Intelligence to Support Kidney Health “The health system is leveraging artificial intelligence tools to identify care plans for people with chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease.”

NPR, September 6, 2019: How Should Scientists’ Access to Health Databanks Be Managed? “…if there’s an opportunity to implement some novel discovery or finding into clinical care, Intermountain will be the lead on that.”

American Medical Association Blog, September 6, 2019: What Real Innovation in Medicine Looks Like “Lincoln Nadauld, MD, executive director of Intermountain Healthcare Precision Genomics, was recognized for the SLC system’s breakthrough development of creating personalized treatments by decoding the genetic makeup of their patients’ cancer cells.”

Modern Healthcare, September 7, 2019: ICU Nurse Plots Return to American Ninja Warrior “Mady Howard, an employee of Intermountain Healthcare’s Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George, Utah…may have gotten knocked out of the competition during the finals, but she’s psyching up to come back for more.”

Advisory Board, September 11, 2019: Struggling With Behavioral Health Patients in Your ED? You’re Not Alone “…Intermountain’s McKay-Dee Hospital in 2017 opened a Crisis Stabilization Unit, called the Behavioral Health Access Center, next to the ED. Intermountain’s Access Center provides crisis treatment and triages patients to inpatient care when needed, which is about half of the time, at one-third the cost of an ED visit.” Wall Street Journal, September 12, 2019: Vaping Related Lung Ailments Puzzle Doctors “They tell us they feel like they have the flu, said Dr. Dixie Harris, a pulmonologist at Intermountain Healthcare in Utah, which has seen a number of cases.”

Becker’s Hospital Review, September 17, 2019: Intermountain To Award $200,000 in Innovation Grants for Precision Medicine “SLC-based Intermountain will allot a total of $200,000 in Genomic Innovation Grants, benefiting biomedical research projects aiming to accelerate precision treatments.

Managed Healthcare magazine, September 18, 2019: 3 Years at the Top: Moving Intermountain to Wellness and Value “The insurers CEO (Marc Harrison) explains the company’s approach to growth, how a team-based system nurtures better care, and why he thinks Medicare for all might not work.”

Forbes magazine, September 23, 2019: Blockchain is Already Improving Lives at 22 Hospitals “Intermountain is using blockchain-based technology coupled with artificial intelligence to identify waste in its massive healthcare system, creating better outcomes for patients, and significant savings all around.”

Yahoo!, September 24, 2019: Small-Town Hospital in Utah Saved Patients After Horrific Bus Crash Near Bryce Canyon “Hospital administrators at the Intermountain Garfield Memorial Hospital shared how they handled the horrific bus accident near Bryce Canyon in Utah.”

Wall Street Journal, September 24, 2019: How Doctors Uncovered the Vaping Crisis “On August 6, Dr. Dixie Harris, a pulmonologist at Intermountain Healthcare hospital system in Utah who advises ICUs around the state remotely, helped treat two patients at separate hospitals who suffered from the same pneumonia-like symptoms but didn’t have an infection.”

U.S. News & World Report, September 24, 2019: 2019 Healthcare of Tomorrow Conference Keynote Closing Panel: Marc Harrison, MD, president and CEO, Intermountain Healthcare.

Washington Times, September 24, 2019: Utah Launches $2 Million Suicide Prevention Campaign “Private donations to the campaign came from the University of Utah, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Intermountain Healthcare, and other companies.”

Medical Xpress, September 29, 2019: Wrist-worn Step Trackers Accurate in Predicting Patient Health Outcomes “Researchers at Intermountain Healthcare found that steps measured through a step tracker worn on the wrist can be used to estimate exercise capacity and determine the health status of patients, rather than the standardized six-minute walk distance test, which is usually conducted in a clinical setting.”

Science Daily, September 30, 2019: AI System Accurately Detects Key Findings in Chest X-rays of Pneumonia Patients Within 10 Sec “From 20 minutes or more to 10 seconds. Researchers at Intermountain Healthcare and Stanford University say 10 seconds is about how quickly a new system they studied that utilizes artificial intelligence took to accurately identify key findings in chest x-rays of patients in the ER suspected of having pneumonia.” Links Newsletter Archive » Trustee Resource Center »