Sept. 21, 2021

The Utah-based health system that was planning to merge with Sanford Health last year has found a new partner.

Intermountain Healthcare has signed a letter of intent to merge with Colorado-based SCL Health.

The new system would be based in Utah and led by Intermountain CEO Dr. Marc Harrison. It would consist of 33 hospitals, 385 clinics and more than 58,000 employees across six states.

“American health care needs to accelerate the evolution toward population health and value, and this merger will swiftly advance that cause across a broader geography,” Harrison said in a statement.

“We’ll bring together the best practices of both organizations to do even more to enhance clinical excellence, transform the patient experience and support healthy lives.”

The merged organization will serve as a model for faith-based SCL Health and secular Intermountain health care systems “to come together to deliver high-quality and affordable care, extending their missions,” the organizations said in a statement.

“The resources and expertise of the merged organization will further extend its mission-focused approach to serving patients, particularly vulnerable populations, and accelerate meeting patient and community needs.”

The merger is expected to close in early 2022, pending approvals.

Intermountain’s merger with Sanford was “indefinitely suspended” in late 2020 – six weeks after it was announced – following the departure of Sanford CEO Kelby Krabbenhoft.

That combined organization would have been among the nation’s largest, with 89,000 employees, 70 hospitals, 435 clinics and more than 1 million health plan members. It also would have been based in Utah.