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Intermountain Health’s new Telehealth Emergency Medicine program is helping patients answer a common question: Do I really need to go to the ER? For many patients, the emergency room may not be the best choice. A consultation with an emergency medicine provider can outline options, refer people to the appropriate level of care, or even make TeleEM the focal point for their care. TeleEM focuses on fee-for-value patients and supports all InstaCares in Utah, ConnectCare, the Patient Service Center, and Health Answers. Once referred to TeleEM, patients are managed as outpatients, with a focus on prioritizing lower-cost resources such as Castell, Tellica, and Hospital Level Care at Home. “We want to be a support to patients to help them navigate the system better,” said TeleEM medical director Joel Taylor, MD. “We’re helping a lot of people access more appropriate care and lowering their costs of care while doing it.” TeleEM is currently staffed from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with plans to expand soon to 24/7 care. The program is currently active only in Utah but will eventually cover Intermountain’s entire footprint. In the past year, TeleEM caregivers have recorded 1,200-plus interactions, with 550 patients admitted to TeleEM care. More than 95% of the time, they are able to avoid an ER visit.
When Brayan Mata-Neri, RN, triage nurse in electrophysiology and heart rhythm in St. George, Utah, had a patient who couldn’t afford their prescribed anticoagulant, he knew noncompliance posed a serious safety risk. See how Brayan went the extra mile by partnering with the pharmacy to ensure his patient could afford a much-needed blood thinner medication in the article below.
Buckle up for an exclusive dive into the Stanford Intermountain Health Fellowship. Whether you're curious about the program's impact on patient care, its role in shaping healthcare policy, or if you're hearing about it for the very first time, you'll find answers and inspiration right here. Hear from three leaders, Raj Srivastava, Tim Fowles, and Thea Sakata, as they unravel the unique opportunities and share personal experiences of this fellowship through Intermountain.
For the second consecutive year, nine Intermountain Health physicians have been named in the annual Top Doctors Desert Companion Magazine! This year’s list includes the following Intermountain providers: - Dr. Afi Bruce, Internal Medicine - Dr. Brian Davis, Physical Medicine - Dr. John Hou, Internal Medicine - Dr. Sunita Kalra, Internal Medicine - Dr. Marija Krstic, Internal Medicine - Dr. Janmejay (Jay) Patel, Cardiology - Dr. Lara Wenner, Internal Medicine - Dr. Steven Yates, Oncology/Hematology - Dr. John Bedotto, Cardiology (retired in July) “These recognitions are an honor as these providers serve our patients and community with the highest commitment to quality, safety and equity,” said Cara Camiolo, MD, regional chief medical officer at Intermountain. “They truly are representative of our incredible caregiver teams that are focused on our mission of helping people live the healthiest lives possible.”
Intermountain Logan Regional Hospital Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center has received a national four-year reaccreditation with distinction from the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, ensuring the center meets the highest standards of care and patient safety. The center received reaccreditation after the society completed a rigorous evaluation and survey of the center’s caregivers, training protocols, and equipment to ensure the high quality of care is being provided to patients. UHMS Accreditation with distinction is considered the “gold standard” of excellence for hyperbaric clinics and is only awarded to 20 percent of the nearly 1,400 hyperbaric facilities in the United States. “Investing the time and effort to achieve accreditation, as well as getting recognized with distinction, validates that our clinic is providing the highest quality of care in the safest manner possible to our patients,” said Devin Beckstrand, MD, medical director of the hyperbaric and wound clinic at Intermountain Logan Regional Hospital. “This milestone reflects our clinic’s commitment to excellence and safety.”
A teen from Annabella, Utah is heading back to school and sports after a rare, second kidney transplant, with an altruistic kidney donor-turned-friend, and help from caregivers from Intermountain Sevier Valley Hospital in Richfield, Utah who went above and beyond to bring pediatric dialysis services to the hospital to help the high school student survive and thrive. Intermountain Sevier Valley Hospital coordinated with Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital to bring pediatric dialysis to its campus to help 17-year-old Richfield High swim and South Sevier tennis student athlete Henry Coulter get the life-saving care he needed close to home. Now, thanks to the organ transplant that helped save his life and the support of Intermountain Sevier Valley Hospital and the community, Henry celebrated his first plunge in the Richfield pool this month and will start workouts with the Richfield High swim team this fall. “We have had lots of ups and lots of downs throughout Henry’s health journey, and this year has had some amazing ups because of his organ donor and the pediatric nephrologists who have made sure he had all that he needed,” said Henry’s mom, Alisa Coulter. “I can’t say it enough, how much we appreciate them.”
For many new mothers, a lactation consultation can become a lifeline. That's why Intermountain Cedar City Hospital in Cedar City, Utah is expanding its services for new moms with a new lactation clinic. The new Intermountain Health lactation clinic includes onsite consulting, as well as telehealth opportunities from Intermountain board-certified lactation consultants. The Intermountain Cedar City clinic is now one of ten Intermountain hospitals offering this in-person support. Kim Heaton, lacation lead for Intermountain Cedar City Hospital, chose to become a lactation consultant when she was looking for direction after she having her first baby and did not find the help she needed. “No one really came in and talked to you about lactation or how to watch your baby. They just gave you the baby.," said Heaton about when she delivered her first child. "They would have a nurse come see you but there wasn't a lot of training on breastfeeding. You just had to figure it out for yourself. It's a great bonding thing with my kids. I want to make it nicer for other moms.” Now, Heaton is leading a team of consultants who can create a better experience and provide that training and lactation support whenever a patient needs it.
When two cardiovascular nurses at Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver noticed a string of open-heart surgery patients being readmitted for sternal and pressure wounds, they identified a common thread. Find out how a new bra, along with improved patient education and pre-op processes, has led to zero readmissions.
Deven Johnson, a security officer who has been at McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden, Utah for a little over a year, didn’t think much about it when he saw two dogs running around in the parking lot at McKay-Dee on a recent morning. But when the dogs found their way into the hospital, he knew he had to do something. Preferring to avoid passing the dogs to animal control, Deven decided to try finding their owner on social media. He posted photos of the doodle mix and the husky in a local Facebook group for lost pets, added a note that animal control would be picking them up soon, and waited. About a half hour later Deven received notification that two people were at the front desk to claim the dogs, which they did after verifying ownership. Although securing pets “is not something we normally do,” Deven was quick to step in and reunite these dogs with their owners. The entire episode was wrapped up within a couple of hours, and the owners were “absolutely appreciate” of Deven’s efforts. “What I appreciate most about Deven is the compassion that he shows and has not only for our furry friends but the people that we deal with daily,” said Tim Contos, the security supervisor at McKay-Dee, noting that Deven’s background as a teacher gives him the ability to relate to visitors with compassion.
At Intermountain Health, we are better together. But for thousands of Intermountain flexworkers, together looks a little different. Flexwork is Intermountain’s remote work strategy — a hybrid model that allows caregivers to work in the office, at home, or a combination of the two as their roles and duties allow. See how remote and hybrid caregivers around Intermountain stay connected to their teams.
