Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Health has formed a coalition with Microsoft, Gates Ventures, Epic and West Health to address the escalating challenges of rural healthcare, which impact 60 million Americans.
This initiative, according to a Dec. 16 news release, seeks to reverse worsening patient outcomes, rising mortality rates and the closure of hospitals that leave many rural communities without critical healthcare access.
According to the release, over the past 20 years, mortality rates for leading causes of death have tripled in rural areas. Today, 20% of rural Americans live in counties without a hospital, and 70% lack access to an oncologist. Ambulance response times average 13 minutes following 911 calls, and more than 130 rural hospitals have closed, with another 700 at risk.
"The current challenges facing rural Americans are sobering, and the current system is unsustainable," Dan Liljenquist, chief strategy officer for Intermountain Health, said in the release. "Our coalition is fully invested in delivering solutions that help people live the healthiest lives possible for generations."
The coalition, formed in late 2023, has identified key priorities: improving access to specialty care, addressing disparities between rural and urban populations, stabilizing hospitals financially and closing technology infrastructure gaps.
A recently published white paper outlines a "hub-and-spoke" model as a potential solution. This strategy partners rural hospitals with larger national health systems, enabling access to advanced technology, staff, medication discounts and other resources while maintaining rural hospitals' independence.
"This approach allows rural hospitals to adopt sustainable financial practices, reduce health disparities and expand specialty care," Jim Weinstein, MD, senior vice president of innovation and health equity at Microsoft, said in the release.