Intermountain physician group may close without buyer

Intermountain Health may shutter a network of clinics within weeks if no one steps up to take it over.

Saltzer Health of Nampa, Idaho, will close March 29 absent a buyer, the provider announced in a news release Thursday. The multispecialty medical practice, which Intermountain acquired in 2020, has struggled to surmount financial challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, the news release said.

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Saltzer Health comprises 10 sites that offer primary care, urgent care, sleep treatment and ophthalmology services across a 25-mile stretch of southwestern Idaho from Boise to Caldwell. The provider has been in business since 1961, according to its website.

"Saltzer is in active negotiations with other healthcare companies that may be interested in purchasing some operations to preserve access to high-quality care for patients in the Treasure Valley and is optimistic that a sale can be achieved," the news release said.

Spokespeople for Saltzer Health and Salt Lake City-based Intermountain declined to answer questions about how many patients and employees would be affected.

Intermountain also announced on Thursday that it is closing Precision Genomics Lab and selling its assets to Myriad Genetics. Eighteen employees are being laid off, according to a news release. The Intermountain spokesperson declined to provide additional information.