GVH gives quarterly report to county commissioners

On Sept. 8, Gunnison Valley Health gave its quarterly CEO report to the Gunnison County Board of Commissioners. They discussed health care operations, financial stability, and technological infrastructure updates.

GVH Board of Trustees chair Mark Kaufman opened the meeting with recruitment matters. Two slots on the board will be open at the end of 2026, as Stephens Mundy is moving out of state and Kaufman’s own term is up, though he does plan to re-apply. He moved on to matters of recruitment, giving kudos to GVH’s chief executive officer Jason Amrich, stating that there have been three spectacular hires to GVH in the past six months: Karen LoRusso in hematology oncology, Brooke Bredbeck in general surgery, and Keith Davis in cardiology.

“They all have really strong training backgrounds,” said Kaufman. “They’re great personalities, they’ve been wonderful additions to the medical staff, and I think we’re going to see pretty significant growth in those areas over the next year.”

Kaufman then discussed GVH’s operating income, crediting Chief Financial Officer Nathan Blad for his leadership and the positive impact of his team. The operating income is $2.5 million, about $1.2 million ahead of budget.

“We have never felt as comfortable as we do right now with GVH’s ability to send out accurate and timely bills for the services we provide,” he said. “We haven’t really had that comfort for the last 40 years.”

GVH is having its yearly strategic planning retreat next week, and a major topic they will discuss is health care affordability after H.R. 1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” was passed last year. Their goal during the retreat is to discuss what GVH can do to make health care more affordable for people in the valley who may lose Medicaid, don’t have insurance, or are on very-high-deductible plans. He recognizes that GVH is just one piece of the puzzle but needs to figure out what they can control or influence to help affordability.

Kaufman gave the floor to Amrich, who gave his CEO report. He discussed the ongoing work to optimize Epic as GVH’s electronic health record, with continual updates and configuration changes to improve financial operations and patient experience. GVH is actively recruiting providers, seeking a pain/injection specialist and a hospitalist. They also have key leadership openings for a practice administrator, director of facilities, director of radiology, and vice president of physician practice.

They have added another urologist from Heart of the Rockies, so urology coverage now happens twice a month. GVH is continuing to figure out how to access orthopedic specialty care and is also trying to ensure they can provide more local spine services. Dr. Bredbeck’s work with breast disease is growing faster than expected, and she is bringing in technology to make breast tumor diagnostics less invasive and more tolerable for patients.

They are working to update provider compensation across the organization with the goal to remain competitive with the markets to the east and west.

“I think GVH has probably not kept up with the local market in the past,” said Amrich. “We will be seeing that operating expenses hit an increase in 2027. It’s important for recruitment and retention of really skilled individuals.”

Amrich raised serious concern about Colorado Public Employees' Retirement Association retirees being moved from UnitedHealthcare to Humana Medicare Advantage. The shift could significantly affect many local retirees.

“GVH has taken the tack to not contract with certain MA plans,” said Amrich. “Unfortunately, it’s more harmful to the organization than it is good to the overall community. So, we’re going to have to figure out what the impact is for Gunnison County and what that looks like.”

Amrich moved to the Joint Commission survey, conducted over four days beginning Aug. 18. He highlighted that there were zero clinical findings in high-risk areas such as the operating room, sterile processing, mom/baby, and oncology. Most findings were in life safety and environment of care, such as old building issues, and not clinical care.

Information Technology Director Trevor Smith presented the information system strategic plan, noting rising costs for hardware and cybersecurity due to AI developments. The IT department is managing end-of-life cycles for core hosts and network switches while balancing growth in data storage requirements. The team also aims to improve the patient digital experience through Epic and MyChart.

Marketing and Communications Director Erica Rasmussen introduced a new marketing campaign funded by an $80,000 initial investment from a donor. The project includes a total of $230,000 for rebranding, unified signage, and a website redesign, with the hope of increasing community awareness of the services available at GVH.

GVH has also applied for the Rural Health Transformation Program, but no final decision has been made yet.

GVH is working with Stantec to develop programming for a new medical office building and potential updates. Leadership is exploring different site options and has established financial and patient-experience metrics to inform future facility investment decisions. A recommendation regarding design and construction for 2027 will be presented to the board in December.

Veterans’ Service Officer Stephen Otero discussed veteran support and community integration. Otero updated the commissioners on the ongoing efforts to connect veterans with service programs and healthcare navigation through the VA Community Care program.

“It does require a bit more coordination on the veteran’s part, so I’ve been assisting a lot of our local residents with that coordination as part of my work to try to ease that burden on them.”

He is collaborating with Western Colorado University and Outward Bound USA to build a unique transition-assistance course: a 3- to 6-credit program to help veterans get back in school. The office continues to advocate for federal legislation such as the Veterans Outdoor Rehabilitation Act to promote nature-based wellness. Discussions concluded with a focus on improving physical accessibility for aging veterans within the community.