Straight out of the gate, the administrator of the new Columbia Timpanogos Regional Hospital appeared to be throwing down the gauntlet Friday in front of the hospital's competitor in Utah County - Intermountain Health Care.
Speaking at the ceremonies celebrating the opening of the new southwest Orem hospital, CEO Ken Armstrong said Columbia would be contributing an estimated $32 million in taxes over the next five years to the communities it will serve."And we are proud to do so," Armstrong said. "We'll gratefully be paying those."
The new hospital opens to the public Tuesday.
Armstrong said it will be the hospital's honor to serve the community, offer charitable care and pay the taxes as a contribution to state and national treasuries.
While Armstrong's comments seem to directly challenge the non-profit IHC chain, which doesn't pay taxes, Jack Cox, medical director of the urban south region for IHC, says the two health care systems are so completely different he doesn't take offense.
"Our gift to the community over the next five years comes to over $270 million and that doesn't count construction," said Cox. "Our tax liability in one year (1996) would have been $12 million while our charitable contributions came to $112 million.
"We see this as a win. We have a history of working with Columbia in Payson and we look forward to working with them in Orem," Cox added.
Armstrong's remarks sounded the horn on a competitive race that will undoubtedly be ongoing between the two health-care systems.
"I just want to echo what's been said about the turnout today," he said to the overflow crowd. "It's one more example of the wonderful welcome we've received. We're proud to build the first competing health-care network and believe both of us will thrive."
"I think in Utah we have pretty good health care, but I'm a great believer in competition," said Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah. "I think competition everywhere is healthy."
Cannon was one of the luminaries at the festivities for the grand opening of the $50 million full-service facility.
He joined officials from Columbia/HCA, Armstrong and prominent community members who welcomed the new hospital.
"We're so delighted with what has been done here," said Delance Squire, former Community Economic Development Organization director and new chairman of the inaugural board of trustees for the hospital.
"We have some great opportunities here."
The doors officially open to the community Tuesday to a hospital committed, Armstrong said, to delivering 21st-century medicine.
The facility includes a fully functional emergency center with triage, a women's center with six spacious birthing rooms, large operating rooms for modern medicine's team-style surgeries, a same-day surgery area with 18 private rooms and patient-friendly admitting, waiting and testing facilities.
Chairs in the patient rooms turn into full recliners. Windows in the intensive care unit are bed level so patients can see outside. The lobby waiting area includes a place for children to play.
The radiology, MRI, CT scan, nuclear medicine and cardiac units are state-of-the-art facilities.
The sonogram rooms are built large enough to make it possible for family members to see the baby's first pictures, if desired.
Throughout the hospital, privacy and patient comfort are clearly a priority, as are costs.
The emergency room has areas where doctors can keep a patient for observation so they don't have to be admitted.