Agreement to Bring Hundreds of New Utah Jobs, 2,300 Intermountain Healthcare Employees Transitioning to Different Employer

Hundreds of new jobs will soon be coming to Utah with a partnership Intermountain Healthcare has struck with R1 RCM.  These jobs will be created as R1 bases some of their national operations in the state.

As part of the partnership, in a move to improve efficiency for patients and help slow the rise of medical costs, Intermountain announced that 2,300 of its non-clinical employees will be switching to R1 as their employer later in 2018.  Intermountain currently has 39,000 employees at 22 hospitals and 180 clinics located primarily in Utah.   

The employees affected by the change will keep their jobs at their rate of pay, but will be employed by R1.  These employees currently work in non-clinical positions such as registration clerks, billing specialists, and scheduling staff.  R1 is a national company that specializes in these types of services and works with several of the country’s largest not-for-profit health organizations, including nearly 300 hospitals.  Intermountain has been partnering with R1 since 2011 and has already had R1 employees working at its hospitals for six years.

“Everyone recognizes the cost of healthcare in the U.S. is too high,” said Robert Allen, Intermountain chief operating officer.  “We owe it to the patients and communities we serve to explore and implement options such as this to help address this issue of affordability.”

It’s anticipated that shifting these employees to a large employer that specializes in providing these clerical services will help slow the rise of medical costs.  Estimated savings will be about $70 million over the next three years.  “That’s money we won’t have to ask our patients for,” said Allen.  “Plus, new jobs will be coming to Utah that will help strengthen the economy.”

Some details of the transition:

• All employees will retain a job at their current rate of pay, but with R1 instead of Intermountain.
• In most cases, employees will continue to work at their current worksite.
• These changes will begin to take effect starting in April 2018.
• It’s anticipated that hundreds of additional jobs will be brought to Utah as R1 expands its operations including an innovation and development center in the state.

“The employees affected by this change are being well-cared for,” said Allen.  “We’ve made every effort to ensure their jobs and incomes are secure, while at the same time balancing the need to make changes that benefit our patients and communities.”

“Intermountain is a strong and stable organization, but these changes will help us serve the people of Utah even better,” added Allen.  “When Intermountain was founded in 1975 through a gift to the community from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, church leaders made but one request of the fledgling health system: that we should always strive to be a model not-for-profit health system, doing our very best for those we serve.   It’s a challenge we try to honor every day, and it has inspired Intermountain caregivers to continually search for ways to innovate and improve.”

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About R1 RCM

R1 serves as the one revenue cycle management partner for select hospitals and healthcare systems regardless of their payment models, partner engagement structures, or settings of care. The company uses a proven operating model based on the R1 Performance Stack℠ designed to fit seamlessly into any healthcare organization’s infrastructure and to enhance the patient experience, improve provider economics, and provide revenue predictability. To learn more visit: r1rcm.com.