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Intermountain Health is one of the nation’s larger and more innovative health systems. Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that the organization is turning its attention to its ambulatory surgery center (ASC) strategy.

The nonprofit health system is headquartered in Salt Lake City, but its operations span six states across the Intermountain West. Overall, Intermountain Health has nearly three dozen hospitals and more than 380 clinics.

ASCs are a core part of its future, too.

“We currently have nine centers with three more scheduled to open in the third quarter, ranging from two to eight operating rooms (ORs),” Mike Clark, market president at Intermountain Health, told ASC News. “We do between 30,000 and 40,000 surgeries per year in our centers.” 

To better serve patients, Intermountain Health has steadily been investing in its ambulatory care strategy. In January 2023, for example, it broke ground on a new ambulatory surgery center in Davis County, Utah.

“Building this center is a major step in continuing our mission of value-based care, which aims for high-quality health outcomes at a more affordable cost,” Dr. Glen Morrell, chief medical officer at Intermountain Layton Hospital, said at the time. “This addition will also help meet the health care needs of a growing community.”

The new center was scheduled to open in August.

The Intermountain Layton Hospital ASC, approximately 18,000 square feet in size, includes four outpatient ORs. It is designed to add two ORs as needed in the future. Each outpatient OR is capable of handling 1,200 surgeries annually.

“Utah’s population is expanding at a rapid pace, especially in Davis County, and this will help us meet the growing needs of the community, providing a way patients can get the care they need closer to home,” Scott Mortensen, administrator of Intermountain Layton Hospital, said during the groundbreaking ceremony.

What’s more, Intermountain has also announced a collaborative agreement with Surgery Partners (Nasdaq: SGRY) to further its ASC strategy, manage existing Intermountain Health ASCs in Utah and Idaho, and develop ASCs in other markets.

Surgery Partners is one of the country’s biggest ASC operating groups.

“Surgery Partners brings a great perspective and expertise to Intermountain in the ASC arena,” Clark told ASC News. “We chose Surgery Partners because of their strong operating model, expertise in the field and ability to adapt to Intermountain’s strategy and rapid growth plan.”

Surgery Partners – recently in headlines due to rumors about a potential sale – has numerous health system partners. Vanderbilt University Medical Center is another example.

“At Surgery Partners, our mission is to enhance patient quality of life through partnership,” Surgery Partners CEO Eric Evans said in a statement. “Surgery Partners is an organization deeply committed to providing quality, compassionate, and personalized care to meet the needs of our diverse patients, employees, and physician partners in the communities in which we serve. We have tremendous alignment with and respect for Intermountain Health, an organization that shares our focus on providing high-quality, affordable care to the communities we serve.”

Looking ahead, Intermountain plans for significant growth in the ASC space.

“ASCs will be strong components of our proactive care model and will be integral to our health care offerings to our communities,” Clark said. “We expect to continue to grow at an appropriate market-based growth/capacity rate to meet patient and community needs.”