WHAT’S ON THE HORIZON FOR HEALTHCARE WITH UCHEALTH’S LONNIE CRAMER

by WAYNE HEILMAN, Senior Writer

The healthcare industry likely will need to make greater use of advanced technology to treat patients more efficiently as it copes with lower federal reimbursements, says Lonnie Cramer, president and CEO of UCHealth Memorial Hospital.

The Colorado Springs hospital, depends on government healthcare programs for 70% of its revenue, and Cramer believes the health care industry must become more efficient without sacrificing the quality of care. That likely will mean more virtual visits with doctors and other health care providers and greater use of artificial intelligence and other new technologies to care for patients in rural and remote areas.

Cramer also heads UCHealth’s operations in southern Colorado, which includes Memorial’s two hospitals, Grandview Hospital in northern Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak Regional Hospital in Woodland Park and many clinics and other medical facilities.

“As we continue to face legislative challenges that have a negative impact on reimbursement and as we continue to see declines in commercial payer reimbursement and denials, we have to find ways to be more efficient to provide care in an affordable model while maintaining high-quality care for the communities we serve,” says Cramer, during a recent interview about his plans for the healthcare system that is the largest civilian employer in the Colorado Springs area.

Lonnie Cramer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Southern Colorado region, UCHealth.

While the threat of reimbursement cuts is a nationwide issue, UCHealth and Memorial would feel the impact of any reductions acutely since the UCHealth system is the state’s largest provider of Medicaid services. Memorial also sees a large share of patients covered under the military’s Tricare health plan due to the area’s large population of military personnel and their families, and most hospitals generate a major share of their revenue from Medicare patients.

Cramer said a new partnership Memorial formed with the Defense Health Agency’s Colorado Military Health System will help UCHealth become more efficient by allowing military health care providers to train in Memorial’s Level I trauma center at its Boulder Street central campus east of downtown. In fact, by treating patients with injuries and medical conditions they might have to treat on the battlefield, providers will keep their skills sharp.

Technology will serve a role by making better use of existing facilities and equipment through virtual visits, reducing the need to build expensive new facilities packed with the latest technology in locations where such facilities likely would not be cost-effective.

Cramer also believes that artificial intelligence and other new technologies may be able to discover infections and other medical conditions earlier. AI could help doctors find “some of the markers that identify infections or things that may be happening to a patient well before it shows up visually through such things as lab tests, respiratory stats, body temperatures,” Cramer said. “I think AI will play a huge role in taking care of our patients and also identifying interventions ahead of time before they show up, maybe even to the patient.”

That doesn’t mean Memorial is abandoning bricks and mortar the hospital system added 40 new beds last year by remodeling administrative offices and converting unfinished space into inpatient medical units. UCHealth also opened new facilities this year in the InterQuest area on the far north end of Colorado Springs, along with

Eastview Medical Center off Powers Boulevard. Both offer a wide range of outpatient services.

Cramer became interim CEO in January 2023 after Joel Yuhas left the post to return to his previous employer, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Cramer had been president of UCHealth’s Longs Peak Hospital in Longmont, Broomfield Hospital and multiple outpatient care facilities.

To learn more about this dynamic healthcare executive, visit NORTH at https://coloradomediagroup.com and enjoy the full profile of Lonnie Cramer.

NORTH is El Paso County's most circulated People, Community & Lifestyle publication in the entire region. Get your free subscription at: https://coloradomediagroup.com/subscribe

Wayne Heilman is a senior writer for the SoCo Business Forum & Digest.

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