The Utah-based health system will appoint an interim leader and search for Harrison's successor in the fall.
Intermountain Healthcare, a 33-hospital health system based in Salt Lake City, Utah, is losing its top leader this fall, the organization announced on Thursday.
Marc Harrison, MD, is stepping down as president and CEO, a role he has held since 2016, to serve in a leadership position for a healthcare platform business with General Catalyst, the organization said.
"Marc has helped spur innovation across our organization during his six-year tenure. We are better today because of his outstanding leadership," Mike Leavitt, chair of the Intermountain Healthcare board and former Governor of Utah, said in a statement.
During his six-year tenure, Harrison oversaw the merger between Intermountain Healthcare and SCL Health, a system that operated five hospitals in Colorado. Additionally, he was involved in the creation of Civica Rx, a nonprofit Utah drug company, and he was responsible for "pushing for doctor compensation to be more closely tied to patient outcomes," Axios reported.
In 2019, Harrison was named one of Fortune's World's 50 Greatest Leaders.
Intermountain Healthcare will appoint an interim president and CEO, and begin the search for Harrison's successor, in the fall.
"At Intermountain, we remain steadfast in our dedication to our patients and the communities we serve. Our leaders and caregivers will continue to carry our important work forward and ensure that the health and well-being of our patients remain at the center of our work," Leavitt said in a statement.
In a LinkedIn post, Harrison detailed his decision and the next steps in his career.
"Today, I am announcing that I will be leaving Intermountain Healthcare to embark on a new journey," the post said. "Although I have an incurable illness, I remain in remission. While I am well, I want to take the opportunity to have maximum impact on the evolution of healthcare toward value. To that end, I will start a revolutionary healthcare platform company with General Catalyst, the most socially responsible venture capital company in this space," he said.
Accompanying the statement is a video interview conducted by Megan Mahncke, the chief marketing and communications officer for Intermountain Healthcare, where Harrison fondly looks back on his tenure with the organization and shares his excitement for his next venture.
Harrison was also recently interviewed on the HealthLeaders Exchange podcast, Healthcare Makes No Sense, where he shared insights on the entire spectrum of care for patients, and how Intermountain Healthcare is working on its patient journey.
Melanie Blackman is a contributing editor for strategy, marketing, and human resources at HealthLeaders, an HCPro brand.