BY SARA ADELMAN
BETTER HEALTH,
FOR LESS
PIONEERING BETTER HEALTHCARE AT LOWER COSTS FOR PATIENTS AND BUSINESSES
From maintaining the bottom line to recruiting the brightest minds, healthcare has long been a grappling point for businesses. Healthcare is expensive, to say the least, but a healthy population makes for a strong and productive workforce. According to the United Health Foundation, Utah ranked seventh in the nation for total population health in 2015. Utah has the youngest median age (30.9 years), and people in this state love to play outside. For a large state with a small—but growing—population, Utah is home to some incredible healthcare assets. The Intermountain Healthcare Medical Center, Primary Children’s Hospital, the University of Utah medical school and hospital, the Huntsman Cancer Institute, Mountain Star and Iasis name just a few. “Utah benefits from good competition in the marketplace, with a number of high-quality organizations competing to offer services,” said Dr. Joeseph Miner, executive director of the Utah Department of Health. “That keeps the price down and the quality up.” Utah, nicknamed the Beehive State for its industrious people, has become a nationally recognized hotbed for innovative healthcare delivery, cost reduction and patient care. This comes, in part, from community-wide concern for economic health and maintaining a high quality of life. “The governor understands that economic development plays a significant role in public health,” Miner said. “Having access to good education, employment, transportation and housing—these are all social determinants of health.” 40
UTAH GOVERNOR’S OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
