FamilyMed with Dr Richardson

19/01/2024

This is our Press Release as physicians:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Meridian, Idaho – [January 18, 2024 – The dedicated physicians of Saltzer Health, a cornerstone of healthcare in Canyon and Ada Counties for over 63 years, are expressing deep concern following the sudden announcement that Intermountain Health will be closing the doors of Saltzer by the end of March.
Three years ago, when we were purchased by Intermountain Health, we were excited about the prospects that such a large organization would bring to help improve the care we provide to the Treasure Valley. With all of you, we are surprised and devastated by this announcement.

This unexpected news has not only impacted the livelihoods of our 400+ employees, but also raises immediate concerns about the future of healthcare for the over 100,000 patients who have entrusted us with their well-being every year. These are not just patients; they are our neighbors, families, and friends. They are the fabric of our community, and their health and safety is our utmost priority.

While we are disappointed by Intermountain Health’s decision, our commitment to this community remains unwavering. Although the short timeline that we have been given makes this a significant challenge, we are actively exploring options to ensure continued access to high-quality, compassionate care for our patients. We understand this uncertainty is unsettling, and we are working diligently to develop a plan for the future.

It is important to note that this announcement came as a shock to us all, and we are still formulating concrete plans for how and where we will continue to serve our patients. We kindly ask that you avoid calling the clinic to ask what our providers plans are at this time, as they are diligently focused on navigating this transition while continuing to deliver your essential care.

We are committed to keeping our community informed. We will publish details about our future plans as they become available, both on our website and through direct mailings. In the meantime, if you have questions or concerns, please direct them to Intermountain Health Care Concern/Clinical relations department at 1-855-442-7855 or patientfeedback@imail.org.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support. We are determined to find a way to continue serving this community for many years to come.

Saltzer Health Physicians and Caregivers

19/01/2024

For my local friends, as you know I don't post much, but I felt the need to do so today. For those who don't know, the parent company of our medical group, Intermountain Health based out of Salt Lake City, Utah announced yesterday that they will either close or sell Saltzer Health by 29 March 2024. As physicians we are devastated for the impact that this will have on our families and staff, but especially for our patients and the community as a whole. Perhaps what we are most disappointed about is Intermountain Health's desire to keep their name out of this decision. All communications from them as far as media discussions and Press releases fail to use their name in any of it. All discussions are always referring to leaders at "Saltzer Health" deciding to take these steps. I want to set the record straight. This was not a local decision. This was corporate healthcare at it's finest. This was a decision by the top executive team at Intermountain Health to abandon our community and to try and imply that it is our local team that has made this decision is despicable. It was not discussed with us at all. The first official communication about any of this was yesterday as they were announcing it. All 486 of our Physicians, APP's, Staff and Leadership at Saltzer are being let go with no concrete plan to ensure that our community and patients are cared for. Over 35,000 patients use us as their primary care doctors. We have over 180,000 patient visits a year. Our community cannot absorb this.

For those not involved in health care, you may not know, but it takes 5-6 months to be able to get a job due to having to be credentialed through insurance companies. This is a long process. By abruptly shutting down clinics within 90 days, all of these patients will not have access to their doctors and the vital care that they need. We as Saltzer Physicians, a group that I've spent 13 years of my life building a practice, would NOT do this to our community. This is something that only a Billion dollar healthcare conglomerate would think is ok.

Please pass the word that this is an Intermountain Health decision and as physicians we are committed to figuring out a path forward to minimize the impact that this will have on our community.

If you want to see a good report on this, please watch Keith Burrell's report at Channel 6 News, he did a great job.

Salt Lake-based Intermountain Health is planning to either sell or close Saltzer Health by March 29th.