Intermountain Healthcare flourish its telehealth capabilities via air transport firm

Intermountain Healthcare recently this week announced their new approach towards their virtual care program. Also, to expand their telehealth capabilities, an acquisition being made with Classic Air Medical. Classic Air Medical is an air medical transport company with over two dozen planes and helicopters.

The medical transport firm, which locates in Salt Lake City, operates 12 fixed-wing, 28 aircraft, and 16 rotary-wing. As per Intermountain, the company’s flight coverage area is equal to its own telehealth service network. 

Classic Air Medical possesses its 22 bases in all total eight states. These states also include Alaska, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Nevada. As per reports, they ran around 5,000 airlift flights in 2020.

The acquisition, which subjects to regulatory review, will close by this summer. However, the financial terms didn’t get disclose yet. Intermountain Healthcare from now onward will treat Classic as an independent group. That means separating Classic from its existing Intermountain Life Flight air medical plan.

Around 400 Classic employees, which includes flight nurses, paramedics, and pilots, are about to join Intermountain. And believe in continuing focusing on communities and partner agencies. 

This addition motive to flourish Intermountain’s telehealth capabilities in rural communities. That would lead to an increase in the number of hospitals, clinics, and physicians. Based on the determinations made by telehealth consults, Classic’s fleet of aircraft will also transport the patients to adequate medical facilities.

Even earlier in the week, Intermountain announced their new collaboration with the University of Utah. The reason behind this is to seek new approaches for preemptive care. That would further encourage providers to arrange social determinants of health and patients unable to reach beyond planned visits.

Senior vice president and chief operating officer of Intermountain, Rob Allen, said, “This will benefit our organizations and the communities we each serve. The services provided by Classic augment our ability to care for people in an affordable and convenient way.” Similarly, the CEO of Classic Air Medical, Tony Henderson, also expresses their excitement and expectations of serving more people on joining with Intermountain.