Salt Lake City, UT -- (ReleaseWire) -- 11/21/2019 --Intermountain Healthcare is the recipient of the first ever Press Ganey Transformation Award for its leading commitment to innovation and patient-centered care.

Through years of innovation Intermountain has shifted focus to value-based care which is helping bring better healthcare outcomes for patients at a lower cost.

"Accelerating transformation in an increasingly complex health care landscape requires an engaged workforce aligned around a shared mission of improving the safety, quality, and experience of care," said Patrick T. Ryan, Executive Chairman of Press Ganey "We are honored to partner with Intermountain Healthcare and proud to present them with this honor recognizing their dedication and commitment to providing exceptional patient care."

Press Ganey works with more than 26,000 health facilities to track patient outcomes and experiences to improve quality and safety of care, along with patient experience.

The organization says the Transformation Award is meant to honor an organization that repeatedly pushes operational boundaries to drive action while setting a new standard for what is possible.

Heather Brace, Intermountain Healthcare's senior vice president and chief people officer, accepted the award on Monday. She noted that Intermountain has undertaken a new approach to quickly transform care to meet the growing and changing needs of patients. This includes a focus on value-based care and changing how caregivers work together to meet their goals.

"Intermountain's transformation isn't about a one step program, but a continuing evolution of coming together with our teams to do the right things and always looking for better ways to deliver healthcare to patients," said Brace. "To receive this award acknowledges the right path is not always the easy path. Our efforts are paying off in positive ways for both our caregivers and patients and we hope it's a path that others will follow."

A major step of this transformation has been how and where Intermountain can deliver high quality care. Using telehealth and Connect Care, caregivers have been able to bring treatment options where people live.

Telehealth allows doctors and other specialists to work with caregivers across the system to bring their expertise to any facility or community served by Intermountain. Connect Care allows patients to see a caregiver from anywhere using a smartphone or other devise.

Not only has Intermountain seen improved outcomes for patients, but the cost of care is also going down. Brace points out none of these advancements would have been possible without Intermountain caregiver's hard work and focus.

"By putting just as much emphasis on caregiver experience as patient experience, it's allowed employee to feel more engaged," Brace added. "Intermountain knows being open to change and evolving with the changing field of healthcare is an important part of our mission to help people lives the healthiest lives possible."

About Intermountain Healthcare
Intermountain Healthcare is a not-for-profit system of 24 hospitals, 215 clinics, a Medical Group with 2,500 employed physicians and advanced practice clinicians, a health insurance company called SelectHealth, and other health services in Nevada, Idaho, and Utah. 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. For more information, please see https://intermountainhealthcare.org.