Columbia/HCA raises stakes in Denver. (Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp.; Denver, Colorado)(Health Care)

Local providers join forces to compete against nation's largest provider

The view from Jeff Dorsey's 12th-floor office window stretches for miles, taking in the traffic whizzing by on Interstate 25 near the Denver Technological Center and the occasional spot of undeveloped land.

What's hidden from Dorsey's view, though, is any sign of the facilities he oversees as the No. 2 man in town for Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp. For the first time in his 23-year career, Dorsey's offices aren't in a hospital or on a hospital campus.

Dorsey doesn't have to see those facilities, just as Columbia/HCA's competitors don't have to turn around to realize the company is gaining ground quickly.

A recent acquisition and a partnership has brought Columbia/-HCA's market share from less than 6 percent to more than …