With a focus on improving patient experience and making care more affordable, Intermountain Healthcare is launching Tellica Imaging, a subsidiary company which will open and operate stand-alone outpatient imaging centers at easy-to-access locations.
Tellica will offer non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) services at three Utah locations—Ogden, West Valley City, and Orem—beginning in late 2021. Up to five additional locations are being planned for 2022, with more to come in subsequent years.
All Tellica locations will offer the flat-rate prices that fall below the costs in typical hospital-based imaging settings.
“While hospital-based imaging services remain an important part of the care process, particularly in emergency situations and when complex imaging services are needed, many patients prefer to access CT scan and MRI imaging services in convenient settings closer to home,” said Nannette Berensen, PharmD, MBA, MHA, vice president and chief operating officer of Clinical Shared Services at Intermountain. Berensen is the chair of the board and interim chief executive officer of Tellica Imaging.
Even with the launch of Tellica, Berensen anticipates that Intermountain’s hospital-based imaging services will continue to grow. The hiring and staffing process for Tellica is currently under way, with plans to hire approximately 20 positions to cover the three centers slated to open later this year. As a national search is in progress for a CEO of Tellica Imaging, two executive roles have been filled. Brad Isaacson, PhD, MBA, MSF, PMP, is Tellica’s chief operating officer. He joined Intermountain in 2015 and has served as venture value creation and business development director for Intermountain Ventures. Douglas Greally, MD, is Tellica’s chief medical officer. He has served as associate medical director of imaging operations at Intermountain Healthcare since 2018.
Intermountain Healthcare is a nonprofit system of 25 hospitals, 225 clinics, a Medical Group with 2,600 employed physicians and advanced practice clinicians, a health insurance company called SelectHealth, and other health services in Utah, Idaho, and Nevada. Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes and sustainable costs.
Tellica Imaging to provide high-quality, convenient, low-cost MRI and CT scan services; first three centers opening in 2021 with more locations being planned.