Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Health has opened its first freestanding endoscopy center at Alta View Hospital in Sandy, Utah, with two additional centers planned near Riverton Hospital and Ogden-based McKay-Dee Hospital, also in Utah, according to an Aug.4 KSL.com report.
The centers will offer colonoscopies and other digestive health procedures at a lower cost by operating outside of hospital settings, reducing overhead and licensing requirements.
The facilities, managed by Brentwood, Tenn.-based Surgery Partners, aim to increase access to early detection and treatment of digestive conditions, including Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and colon cancer. Colonoscopy screening is recommended at age 45, or earlier for those with a family history.
Intermountain officials say the move supports the organization’s nonprofit mission while addressing rising rates of chronic digestive conditions and earlier colon cancer diagnoses. The system also operates three freestanding endoscopy centers in Denver in partnership with Louisville, Colo.-based Gastroenterology of the Rockies.
