University of Utah and Community Nursing Services Announce New Partnership

June 25, 2020 -University of Utah Health and Community Nursing Services (CNS) announced details of a new affiliation, which will benefit patients needing end-of-life and home-based services.

The public-private partnership will enable U of U Health and CNS to improve patient care and innovate care delivery through improved quality and new services that will enhance patient experience and outcomes. The partnership was approved through a state bid process and after a rigorous due diligence and legal review, was approved by University of Utah Hospital’s board in April 2020.

“Through this partnership, we are now able to offer our patients a seamless continuity of care,” said Gordon Crabtree, C.E.O. of University of Utah Health Hospitals and Clinics. “Patients in need of home-based or hospice care will now benefit from even greater coordination which means better outcomes and a higher degree of satisfaction from patients and their families facing difficult health challenges.”

CNS is the oldest home health provider in Utah with a 91-year history of providing quality hospice and home health care in Utah. As the second largest home health organization, CNS has more than 550 employees and holds a 4.5 star ranking from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

“The mission statements of both our organizations are well-aligned and we have a long history of working together to create a positive experience for our patients,” said Brent Jones, president of CNS. “As patients move from hospital to home through our multiple home-based services lines, they’ll experience enhanced quality-of-care and better communication and coordination at transition points.”

Key aspects of the partnership include plans to transform care delivery through innovative programs. CNS will remain a distinct operating unit with additional collaboration and coordination with U of U Health.

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About University of Utah Health

University of Utah Health is the state’s only academic health care system, providing leading-edge and compassionate medicine for a referral area that encompasses 10% of the U.S., including Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and much of Nevada. A hub for health sciences research and education in the region, U of U Health touts a $373 million research enterprise and trains the majority of Utah’s physicians and more than 1,250 health care providers each year at its Schools of Medicine and Dentistry and Colleges of Nursing, Pharmacy and Health. With more than 20,000 employees, the system includes 12 community clinics and four hospitals — University Hospital; University Neuropsychiatric Institute; Huntsman Cancer Hospital; and the University Orthopaedic Center. For ten straight years, U of U Health has ranked among the top 10 U.S. academic medical centers in the rigorous Vizient Quality and Accountability Study, including reaching No. 1 in 2010 and 2016.

About CNS

Community Nursing Services (CNS) was established in 1928 as the Salt Lake City Chapter of The National Visiting Nurses Association. Over the past 91 years CNS has expanded services and coverage areas to meet the needs of Utahns statewide. As Utah’s oldest nonprofit home health agency CNS is committed to providing care regardless of insurance coverage or ability to pay.

The 9 CNS offices from Logan to St. George are accessible to 93% of Utahns. CNS delivers a wide range of health care services including:

• Home Health and Hospice Care

• Immunizations and Flu Shots

• Specialty Infusion Therapy

• Closed Door Pharmacy Servicing Assisted and skilled nursing facilities

• Oxygen and Respiratory Services

• Telehealth

CNS serves more than 9,000 Utahans annually. The CNS Charitable Care Program donates services to hundreds of low-income, uninsured and underinsured Utahans of all ages.