Each month, Andrea Burch, President of InterMountain Lutheran Hospital, shares insights on healthcare innovation, community wellness initiatives, and behind-the-scenes updates on how the new hospital is taking shape. From medical breakthroughs to heartfelt patient stories, this interview connects our readers with the pulse of local healthcare.
Lutheran ER was the winter retreat for a large part of the homeless population in Wheat Ridge. Has that carried over and how are you managing the situation?
Caring for the behavioral health needs of our communities is something that every emergency department experiences across the country. We maintain close partnerships with our community resources like Jefferson Center for Mental Health, West Pines, and many others and are honored to care for any patient in our community.
You have made leaps and bounds in your food program in the cafeteria. Are you tracking the usage of the cafeteria by Lutheran staff? Has it been a success with them? What’s next with that program?
We don’t specifically track our percentage of sales from caregivers vs. visitors. However, based on the data that is available to us, we estimate that Lutheran staff averages between 75%-78% of our total transactions.
We have QR codes placed around our dining spaces to collect feedback. Overall, it’s mostly positive with requests for more variety in the menu and more “healthy” options. We continue to see incremental increases in the number of customers we serve quarter-over-quarter, which tells us that we are attracting more customers to our services. This fluctuates based on how busy the hospital is and other events that might be held on our campus. Our Nutrition team takes the feedback they receive seriously and does their best to incorporate changes when they see groupings of similar comments.
Our Nutrition team is always looking to innovate and bring new items onto the menu. The executive chef is creating new recipes to be added to our database that also incorporate more international cuisines highlighting the wonderfulness of different cultures. We are increasing the availability of action stations that allow the customers to mix and match different ingredients to customize their meal to their preferences. Finally, we are in the process of rolling out our fall/winter menu that incorporates some seasonal favorites.
What is Intermountain’s plan with its healthcare, market share wise? Is there a plan for all of Lutheran’s staff to shift into Select Health?
No, but we are very excited to offer Select Health plans to our caregivers in the Peaks Region beginning in 2026. Intermountain wanted to simplify choices and offer plan consistency across all three of our regions. This includes plans being added, discontinued, and consolidated, designed to better support caregivers and help reduce out-of-pocket costs. There will be multiple Select Health and Cigna plans available to caregivers, giving them more choices in their providers, facilities and pharmacies.
The benefits that the Intermountain and Select Health partnership bring are very exciting. For one, it helps us advance proactive care, meaning we work together to get ahead of disease. Proactive care helps people lead healthy lives with early interventions and balances our resources to support all our patients and members. It also helps us get a holistic patient view to help deliver coordinated, accessible, and continuous care. Lastly, by working together, Select Health and Intermountain provide incentives and resources for members and patients to proactively manage their health.
