St. Vincent Health, Leadville CO
From $2.2 Million in losses to $3.5 Million in Profit. A $6 million turnaround in one year!
Under the leadership of CEO Andy Dreesen, St. Vincent Health transformed from a struggling rural hospital facing a $2.2 million deficit into a thriving, financially stable institution earning $3.5 million in profit within a single year. By focusing on operational discipline, transparent leadership, and community-driven care, the team rebuilt trust, stabilized finances, and positioned the hospital for long-term growth
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Cypress Success Story
Andrew “Andy” Dreesen joined St. Vincent Health in Leadville, Colorado as the permanent administrator (CEO) in September 2023, bringing with him a strong operational background overseeing clinical services, quality improvement, and revenue cycle management at his prior role in Montana. At the time of his arrival, the hospital was facing steep financial challenges—including a $2.2 million operating loss in 2023—and risked the sustainability of its rural acute-care mission. Under Andy’s leadership, St. Vincent embarked on a focused turnaround strategy: they streamlined service lines to align with the community’s core needs, strengthened recruitment of providers and revenue-cycle specialists, updated the chargemaster (which had not been refreshed since 2015/18), tightened their billing and claim-denial workflows, improved transparency with stakeholders, and secured vendor partner accommodations to stabilize cash flow. As a result of these efforts, the hospital achieved a remarkable financial reversal—moving from a multi-million-dollar deficit to a $3.5 million profit in 2024, a swing of about $6 million in just one year—positioning the institution as a model of rural health-system resilience. Beyond short-term gains, Andy emphasized building sustainable operational infrastructure: documenting workflows, training all levels of staff, engaging the board with strategic planning, anchoring decisions in data, and embedding a culture of community-service. In July 2025, the hospital announced that Andy would step down in mid-September, leaving behind a far stronger organization, poised to expand specialty services and deepen access for its region.
Andrew Dreesen - (Previous) CEO BIO
Andrew Dreesen is an accomplished healthcare executive who most recently served as CEO of St. Vincent Health in Leadville, Colorado, where he led a significant financial and operational turnaround for the rural medical center. With earlier leadership experience in critical-access hospitals and deep expertise in clinical operations, quality improvement and revenue cycle strategy, Andrew brings both strategic vision and hands-on execution to community-based care. He is married to his wife, Amy, and together they enjoy mountain living and outdoor adventure, rooting themselves in the local community while raising their two young children
Bubba Bartlett - (Current) CEO BIO
Bubba Bartlett is the Chief Executive Officer of St. Vincent Health in Leadville, Colorado.
A native from Rathdrum, Idaho, Bubba earned a degree in public health from Carroll College in Helena, Montana and achieved an MBA from University of Saint Mary.
He spent 14 years in business development, sales, and innovative technologies including 340B claim analysis, molecular infectious disease testing, and supply-chain solutions. Bubba traveled the country supporting hospitals, clinics, surgery centers, outpatient labs, pharmacies, and critical access hospitals to help clients solve their biggest problems. In 2024, an unexpected opportunity brought him into hospital administration, becoming a critical access hospital CEO. “The best part of being in this role is that I get to be part of something greater than myself in which I am grateful for.” He and his wife Paige are proud parents to Calvin and Delaney, and together they’re embracing life in the Colorado high country. Fun fact about Bubba: He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Houston Texans and was recently inducted into the Carroll College Athletic Hall of Fame.
