Utah health system forms partnership with CommonSpirit Health

CommonSpirit Health and the University of Utah Health have formed a new clinical partnership.

CommonSpirit Health and University of Utah Health have formed a clinical partnership to expand services to patients at five CommonSpirit hospitals in Utah.

The two organizations announced what they called a “strategic clinical alliance” earlier this week. With the partnership, University of Utah Health doctors and providers will be able to serve patients at five CommonSpirit hospitals in Utah. CommonSpirit purchased the five hospitals from Steward Health Care in a deal that was finalized in May 2023.

Andrew Gaasch, president of the CommonSpirit Mountain Region, which includes the five Utah hospitals, said the partnership is aimed at ensuring patients get the best care possible in the cities along the Wasatch Mountain Range, also called the Wasatch Front.

“We look forward to welcoming University of Utah Health providers to our hospitals and working alongside them as we improve population health and build a path to more accessible care along the Wasatch Front and beyond,” Gaasch said in a statement.

University of Utah providers will be accessible at these hospitals: CommonSpirit Holy Cross Hospital - Salt Lake; CommonSpirit Holy Cross Hospital - Davis; CommonSpirit Holy Cross Hospital - Jordan Valley; CommonSpirit Holy Cross Hospital - Jordan Valley West; and CommonSpirit Holy Cross Hospital - Mountain Point.

Michael L. Good, MD, CEO of University of Utah Health and senior vice president for health sciences, said the academic system is looking forward to partnering with CommonSpirit.

“Working together, we will do what we all trained in health care to do: improve health and quality of life,” Good said in a statement. “We are proud to come together with the CommonSpirit providers and staff in that shared purpose. CommonSpirit’s commitment to compassionate care is inspiring, and we look forward to collaborating with such a dedicated organization.”

Since acquiring the five hospitals in Utah, CommonSpirit has invested substantially in the facilities. The health system said it has poured more than $100 million in the Utah hospitals over the past 18 months.

With the purchase of the five hospitals from Steward Health Care last year, CommonSpirit noted that it has returned the facilities to their Catholic roots. The Sisters of the Holy Cross founded Holy Cross Hospital in Salt Lake City in 1875.

Some details are still being fleshed out in the new partnership. When asked about new or expanded services at the five hospitals, a University of Utah Health spokesperson said the organizations are working together to finalize the details of the clinical partnership and would share more information in the near future.

The move also offers another example of a trend that has been growing in the hospital industry in recent years, with academic health systems forming more partnerships with community hospitals. In some cases, academic health systems are merging with hospitals, but some are forming clinical partnerships to expand capabilities.

University of Utah Health operates five hospitals and 12 community clinics. The system employs 26,000 people.