Intermountain Healthcare: A Modern Healthcare EcosystemIntermountain Healthcare, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, was founded in April 1975, when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated its entire hospitals to the community. IHC is a non-profit organization. This is an example of an integrated delivery system, spanning the continuum of care. IHC has three divisions: hospitals and clinics, physicians, and health plans. It operates 22 hospitals and 185 clinics. Its physician group includes more than 1,000 physicians, and its health plans insure approximately 600,000 people in the region (Intermountain Healthcare [IHC], nd, para. 2). In this essay, I will examine the key factors that shape the operation and delivery of health care at Intermountain Healthcare. . These factors include: • The effect of rising health care costs on service delivery. • Comparison of how IHC's core ideals translate into actions. • Initiatives that continually improve quality. Since 1985, rapidly rising healthcare costs have had a ripple effect on the healthcare industry. Most cost increases are associated with rapid advances in medications. Like most technological advances, the newest treatments and most advanced diagnostic devices come at a higher cost. Naturally, patients expect the most advanced and effective treatments to be used in their care. The effects of rising health care costs are illustrated in the diagram below (Intermountain Healthcare [IHC], nd). IHC has worked diligently to contain costs while improving the quality of healthcare provided. A report prepared by the Dartmouth Institute found that IHC is...... middle of paper...... healthcare. (nd). Mission, vision, values. Retrieved from http://intermountainhealthcare.org/about/overview/Pages/mission.aspxLeonhardt, D. (November 3, 2009). Improving health care. New York Times, p. MM31. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/magazine/08Healthcare-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0Probst, M. (2011, March 21). Decades of evidence. Modern healthcare. Retrieved from http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20110321/MAGAZINE/303219977/decades-of-proofSelecthealth (nd). My Health: Closing the Gap [Lecture Notes]. Retrieved from https://portal.sliderocket.com/AICGB/myhealthloop Wennberg, JE, Brownlee, S., Fisher, ES, Skinner, JS, & Weinstein, JN (2008). Improving quality and reducing health care spending: opportunities for Congress and the Obama administration. Retrieved from the Dartmouth Atlas website: http://www.dartmouthatlas.org