Intermountain Health Celebrates Opening of New Gastroenterology Center in Ogden to Make Digestive Health Procedures More Affordable & Accessible
Intermountain Health unveiled its new Intermountain Health Gastroenterology Center in Ogden, Utah, to the community on Tuesday, which is designed to make gastroenterology care, including early detection colonoscopy screening for colon cancer, more accessible and affordable for patients.
The new ambulatory endoscopy center is located next to Intermountain Health McKay-Dee Hospital and aims to lower the cost of endoscopy procedures such as colonoscopies, while helping to meet the growing health needs of the community in northern Utah.
At a grand opening event for the community on Tuesday, residents were able to tour the state-of-the-art center, see rooms used for endoscopy procedures, and try out equipment as a part of interactive health education.
“It’s always exciting when we can bring the community into our facilities and show off all the tools we have to help with their digestive health,” said Kyle Eliason, MD, a gastroenterologist at the Intermountain Health Gastroenterology Center. “Colonoscopies are just one of the services we provide at the center where we also do endoscopy exams for the esophagus, stomach, and upper part of the small intestine.”
March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month. Endoscopy services at these centers include colonoscopies, which are the most effective method of screening for colon cancer and finding precancerous growths and polyps. Some polyps or abnormal masses can even be removed during the screening colonoscopy.
The American Cancer Society estimates that 107,320 new cases of colon cancer and 46,950 new cases of rectal cancer were diagnosed in the United States in 2025. They reported that about 53,000 Americans died from colon cancer in 2024.
Colonoscopy screening is recommended beginning at age 45 or earlier if there is a family history of colon cancer. A referral is not needed for a screening colonoscopy at the Intermountain Health Gastroenterology Center in Ogden.
Benefits of a Stand-Alone Center
A stand-alone ambulatory endoscopy center, such as the new center, has lower overhead than a hospital, so the cost of these outpatient procedures is lower.
This new model is a part of Intermountain’s mission as a nonprofit health system to improve the overall health of people in the communities it serves and make care more affordable.
The new Intermountain Health Gastroenterology Center is one of three in the Intermountain Health system. The others are at Intermountain Health Alta View Hospital in Sandy and at Intermountain Riverton Hospital, which is expected to open later this year.
“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,” said Nathan Merriman, MD, medical director of gastroenterology and digestive health in Utah 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 United States.”
These new endoscopy centers are managed by Surgery Partners, a leading operator of surgical facilities and ancillary services with more than 200 locations across 30 states.
Headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, Surgery Partners is a leading healthcare services company with a differentiated outpatient delivery model focused on providing high-quality, cost-effective solutions for surgical and related ancillary care in support of both patients and physicians.
“This partnership is a great example of how we can bring innovative care models to life by working together,” said Sandy Pippin, regional vice president of operations at Surgery Partners. “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.”
Endoscopy can also be used to evaluate conditions such as acid reflux, swallowing difficulties, ulcers, and many more. Upper endoscopy procedures like this require a referral from your primary care doctor or specialist.
For more information about the Intermountain Health Gastroenterology Center, click here.
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