Hospital giant’s homegrown outpatient imaging center chain expands into new state
Hospital giant Intermountain Healthcare’s homegrown outpatient imaging center chain is expanding to a new state.
The Salt Lake City-based health system first launched Tellica Imaging in 2021 as it sought to capitalize on the growing movement of radiology services outside of the hospital setting. Intermountain currently operates nine Tellica Imaging locations across Idaho, New Hampshire and Utah with plans to expand into Washington state, the Puget Sound Business Journal reported Sept. 17.
The Intermountain subsidiary has leased a 4,800-square-foot space in Tacoma, real estate broker Ray Velkers told the outlet. It also recently submitted a $1.8 million tenant-improvement application to the city south of Seattle, with work slated to begin in January.
“This clinic will make it easier to get X-rays if you have something like a sprained ankle,” Velkers told the journal. “Radiologists can be hard to find. Sometimes you have to wait a week to get in. This will provide another option.”
Tellica Imaging also recently revealed plans to open multiple locations in Massachusetts, Radiology Business reported in March. Its centers offer flat-rate prices for services such as MRI ($550) and CT ($350), falling well below the cost at other settings.
“While hospital-based imaging services remain an important part of the care process—particularly in emergency situations and when complex imaging services are needed—many patients prefer to access CT scan and MRI imaging services in convenient settings closer to home,” Nannette Berensen, MBA, VP and chief operating officer of clinical shared services at Intermountain, said in 2021.
The nonprofit operates over 30 hospitals and a medical group employing 3,800 physicians and advanced practice providers, according to its website.
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Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.