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Intermountain Healthcare CEO to retire

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Anonymous | 8:21 a.m. Nov. 4, 2008
What Bill Nelson has try to do was turn a hospital into a business about money, not about the patient because of delusions of grandure of being competitive to the bigger heath care industries back east. He knows nothing about the heath care industry and the monstrosity in Murray is prime example of that. It is a good thing that an accutal doctor is taking over as CEO because maybe IHC will go back to the mom and pop company that it used to be that cared about its patients more and not how much money they can get out of them.
Anonymous | 9:35 a.m. Nov. 4, 2008
Bill you have been a great leader and a hero to look up to in an age of cinicism and doubt. Thank you!
Wiseguy | 9:48 a.m. Nov. 4, 2008
Bill is a tremendous human being that has been a great representative for IHC. What an example for us all to follow. IHC is a fine organization that provides a fantastic service to so many people. IHC and Bill have provided care for many people that need medical assistance but cannot afford it.
Comments continue below
Not a Business? | 10:20 a.m. Nov. 4, 2008
Like it or not, health care is a business-doctors do not work for free, at least not all the time. Neither do nurses, Physician Assistants, pharmacists, etc. The demand for all of these services and more is HUGE! People want a doctor available for colds, coughs, sinus infections, and rashes, as well as heart attacks, strokes, and appendicitis.

Thank heaven that there is someone willing to step up to the plate and attempt to accomadate all of this public demand. I applaud Intermountain for its efforts. They have and continue to benefit the intermountian service area.

Having said that, I do think that Anonymous's comment about going back to the ma-pa run health care accurately predicts our future. The system is both broken and financially broke. Health care will have to become affordable due to increasing lack of insurance-no more feeding the hog. We will, and should, pay for our health care as we use it, and not rely on insurance for routine office visits and short hospitalizations. Whether we like it or not, the economic realities are going to force us back to that era. I hope that Mr. Sorenson is planning for the coming evolutionary changes in medicine.
Anonymous + Gutless | 10:35 a.m. Nov. 4, 2008
Dear anonymous,

How brave of you to sign you slander with "anonymous." If you're going to slander a quality company and its leadership, please have the guts to sign your name. My guess is that you work for a competing hospital and are jealous of the fact that Intermountain Medical Center in Murray is one of the top facilities in the country. If my family member was sick, that's where I'd take them in a heartbeat!

Alan James
at anonymous | 10:55 a.m. Nov. 4, 2008
do you have any idea how much charity care and dollars IHC has to fork over to get their tax exempt status! just go to one of the for profit hospitals they are not flexable with your bill and getting them towrite off much is very hard! i worked in IHC collections and Financial Aide offices. their payment plans have the lowest interest rate 8% annualy not monthly if you do auto pay 4%. plus you can apply for aide at anytime i have seen many times where most of the bill was written offleaving only a small balance that can be split up interest free! IHC charges for procedures are a fraction of other healthcare providors. IHC is also the only company willing to bring the hospitals to rural areas! so yes they have more hospitals than any other heathcare company in utah, but remember most of the other providers are huge outside of utah and their costs are much higher! becuase they have shar holder were IHC does not. maybe all healthcare providors should be made non for profit just like credit unions they belong to the community.
Anectdotal Evidence | 2:36 p.m. Nov. 4, 2008
A close aquaintance of mine works in a Newborn ICU at a "for-profit" hospital in the valley. It is interesting to note that when the NICU at Primary Children's Hospital (IHC owned and operated and alledgedly non-profit)is full and they have to transfer patients (babies) to other NICUs, they will always transfer those who are self-pay or non-insured. They always manage to have space for the patients who have insurance coverage. The receiving hospital must accept the transferred patient and try to collect fees from those non-insured families. I assume this could be the case for other types of patients. At least the for-profit hospital is honest about its desire to generate a profit and benefit its shareholders. IHC is disingenuous when it claims that profit is not a priority in its business model.

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Bill Nelson, CEO of Intermountain Healthcare, started working for Intermountain when he was 29 and has been the company's president for nine years.

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