HealthTrust Inc., which owns six Utah hospitals, including Pioneer Valley in West Valley City, has joined forces with Holy Cross hospitals and their physicians in an effort to provide high-quality, cost-effective health care.
Officials confirmed Tuesday that HealthTrust Inc. has purchased a one-third interest in Premier Medical Network - a health care delivery system that contracts with employers and insurers on a preferred basis. Essentially, it brings purchasers of health-care services - employers and insurers - together with providers of health-care services in an effort to gain better control of rising health-care costs.The entity originally was founded in 1985 by two groups. The first was Holy Cross Care, which is owned by Holy Cross-Jordan Valley Hospitals, and an independent physician association, called Premier Medical Group. That group owned two-thirds interest in the network.
The third interest was owned by Northern Utah Care, which was jointly owned by St. Benedict's Hospital in Ogden, and Ogden Physician's Group.
Recently, Holy Cross Care sold a one-third interest to HealthTrust Inc.
"Through the affiliation of HealthTrust Hospitals, Premier Medical Network will be in a position to offer health care services, through its network of 11 hospitals and 450 physicians, to all of Utah's major population centers," said Daniel J. Wolterman, chairman and CEO of Holy Cross Health Services of Utah and chairman of the board of Premier Medical Network.
"We believe strongly that the best way to provide high-quality, cost-effective health-care services is where physicians and hospitals and payers work hand-in-hand in the provision of health care."
Currently, Premier Medical Network provides health-care services to about 35,000 Utahns.
"We believe that this expansion of our network will enable us to offer quality health-care services at reasonable costs to many more Utah employers and insurers," said Bob Immitt, organization executive director. "An equally important result of the expansion is that patients will have improved access to Premier Medical Network providers over a broader geographic area."
According to Immitt, HealthTrust Inc. hospitals now involved in the network include: Pioneer Valley Hospital, West Valley City; Brigham City Community Hospital; Lakeview Hospital, Bountiful; Mountain View Hospital, Payson; Castleview Hospital, Price, and Ashley Valley Medical Center, Vernal.
Other hospitals included in the network, but are not owners, are the University of Utah Medical Center and Humana Hospital-Davis North.