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Crews work on the windows of the exterior of the new St. Francis Hospital-InterQuest on Thursday. The new hospital will specialize in orthopedic and spine care.
St. Francis Hospital-Interquest, pictured Thursday, is projected to be finished in July 2023.
A large area on top of the parking garage at St. Francis Hospital-Interquest will be an outdoor turf rehab area.
Crews work on the windows of the exterior of the new St. Francis Hospital-Interquest.
St. Francis Hospital-Interquest will have extensive natural light and views of the mountains from patient rooms.
Crews work on the windows of the exterior of the new St. Francis Hospital-InterQuest on Thursday. The new hospital will specialize in orthopedic and spine care.
St. Francis Hospital-Interquest, pictured Thursday, is projected to be finished in July 2023.
A large area on top of the parking garage at St. Francis Hospital-Interquest will be an outdoor turf rehab area.
Crews work on the windows of the exterior of the new St. Francis Hospital-Interquest.
St. Francis Hospital-Interquest will have extensive natural light and views of the mountains from patient rooms.
As the health care industry recovers from the pandemic that hammered the work force and drove up costs, a new chief executive officer is taking over leadership of Penrose-St. Francis Health Services.
Newly named CEO Patrick Sharp will oversee the growing system of about 1,000 medical staff members that is adding a third specialty orthopedic hospital near Interstate 25 and InterQuest Parkway. The three hospitals are all part of Centura Health, a system of 17 hospitals in Colorado and Kansas.
Sharp's first priority will be developing his team, which includes filling the chief financial officer and the Penrose chief nursing officer positions as soon as possible, he said.
"Having a strong team that has trust that can foster the best ideas is very important," he said.
Sharp is replacing former CEO Dr. Brian Erling, who left the position in early August after leading Penrose-St. Francis Health Services' two hospitals since 2018. Sharp is coming from Mercy Regional Hospital Center, an 82-bed hospital that is also part of the Centura Health System, where he has worked since January 2021.
In his new position, he expects that economic pressure from lower numbers of patients, increased labor costs and high inflation will be the biggest challenge.
"Those produce a new reality we have to lean into and lean into quite diligently," Sharp said.
The same pressures are facing hospitals nationally. A report released by the American Hospital Association on Thursday showed that under the most optimistic projections for 2022, hospital profit margins are expected to be down 37% compared to pre-pandemic levels and more than half of hospitals nationally will be operating at a loss.
Sharp said the workforce turnover rate that was driven by the pandemic burnout has dropped and stabilized, in part because Centura introduced retention bonuses, increased salaries and stepped-up benefits such as tuition reimbursement.
He expects the reimbursement program will help address the workforce shortage that could be stressed further as baby boomers continue to retire. In 2022, Centura increased its tuition reimbursement from $3,000 to $5,000 for full-time associates and $1,500 to $2,500 for part-time associates.
The American Hospital Association estimated in April the hospital employment was still down 100,000 workers from pre-pandemic levels.
Penrose-St. Francis Board of Trustees Chairman Glenn Strebe said in a previous interview he expected attracting workers would be one of Sharp's largest challenges, particularly as the hospital system looks to expand.
William Lueck, director of operations, said he expected the new orthopedic hospital to employ more than 200 people, but some of those people will be transferring from within the system.
The 72-bed facility, St. Francis Hospital-InterQuest, will serve primarily those with more complicated orthopedic surgical needs, such as total joint replacement and spine surgeries, with eight critical care rooms for patients with the most extensive spinal needs.
The first floor will also have a general emergency room to serve the rapidly growing northern portion of town and busy I-25 corridor, he said.
The hospital, estimated to cost $180 million, up from $150 million initially, is part of a 58-acre campus Centura expects to develop over time. Eventually it is expected to feature an acute care hospital that will be bigger than the four-story hospital now under construction, Lueck said.
While the health care industry is challenged, the growth of the community is expected to support the new hospital, Sharp said.
Orthopedic procedures also tend to be profitable services for hospitals, with the average orthopedic surgeon bringing in $3.3 million a year in revenue for hospitals, according to "Becker's Spine Review."
Contact the writer at mary.shinn@gazette.com or 719-429-9264.
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