As more Americans pay attention to digestive health, Intermountain Health recently opened a free-standing endoscopy and surgical center in Sandy, located at Intermountain Health’s Alta View Hospital campus at 9450 S. 1300 East.

The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 100,000 new cases of colon cancer and nearly 47,000 cases of rectal cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year. More than 50,000 Americans died from colon cancer in 2024, and doctors hope this facility will encourage more people to get screened for the disease. 

“With the opening of our new endoscopy centers, Intermountain Health is increasing access to a lower-cost alternative for digestive health diagnostic and therapeutic procedures to prevent, identify and treat digestive health conditions in earlier stages,” Dr. Nathan Merriman said, senior medical director of the Surgical Specialties and Digestive Health Clinical Program at Intermountain Health. “This comes at a time when we’re seeing more people with chronic digestive health conditions and younger ages of colon cancer across the U.S.” 

Doctors recommend a colonoscopy screening beginning at 45, earlier if there’s a family history of colon cancer. Healthy eating, proper nutrition, improving gut health and maintaining a healthy weight can help lower the risk of colon cancer. This could mean limiting the amount of red meat consumed, eating fresh produce and whole grains and getting at least 30 minutes of exercise each day.

Intermountain Health professionals encourage patients to be proactive about their digestive health by talking with their doctors, getting screened and taking a team-based approach to a comprehensive health plan.

The free-standing endoscopy centers are more affordable because of lower overhead costs compared to operating under a hospital’s license. Patients are turning to this model of surgery center to keep out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare services down. The endoscopy center is a place that can help patients streamline their healthcare experience and no referral is needed for a screening colonoscopy at the Alta View Endoscopy Center. 

Intermountain Health’s Riverton Hospital and McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden will also open endoscopy centers. The Ogden facility will open later this year, while the Riverton location will open in 2026. The centers will be managed by Surgery Partners. 

“This partnership is a great example of how we can bring innovative care models to life by working together,” Noah Clevenger said, Surgery Partners regional vice president of operations. “By aligning our strengths, we’re creating more access points for patients in Utah to receive timely, affordable and highly specialized digestive healthcare, while supporting physicians with the tools and environment they need to deliver exceptional outcomes.” 

In addition to colonoscopies, the endoscopy center will provide upper endoscopy procedures to examine the esophagus, stomach and upper part of the small intestine.

“[This will] help diagnose conditions like acid reflux, ulcers, swallowing difficulties, abdominal pain, bloating or nausea, chronic diarrhea, chronic constipation and hemorrhoids,” Merriman said. “These types of procedures can also aid in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic or more serious conditions like Crohn’s Disease, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis or esophageal cancer.” 

For more information, visit intermountainhealthcare.org.