Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 2, 1993 TAG: 9305010165
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MICHAEL STOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
"In fact," he recalled, "I'd never even been in the hospital" as a patient.
In just over two decades, however, Cromer has become one of the most authoritative and respected players in Virginia's health-care industry.
In January the Christiansburg native was elected chairman of the Carilion Health System's 26-member board of directors.
Cromer also is chairman of Southwest Virginia Health Services, the holding company of Radford Community Hospital, which is now a unit of Carilion. He is chairman of the American Hospital Association's Region 3 Congress of Hospital Trustees and former chairman of the Virginia Hospital Association's board of trustees.
Officially, Cromer retired when he sold his Christiansburg furniture store in 1985.
"I didn't really retire, I just changed my interests," Cromer said during an interview at his Montgomery County home last week. There's one big difference though.
Most of Cromer's health care work is done as a volunteer, though some boards, such as Carilion, pay their board members to cover expenses. "Nobody does this for the money; it's done for the good of the community," he said.
Carilion Health System President Thomas Robertson called Cromer soft-spoken and an effective leader.
While Robertson and his staff handle Carilion's daily operations, the board of directors focuses on policies and major building projects.
"One of the things that Archie brings to the table for us is that he is so well-informed" about health care, Robertson said. "He's a national leader."
"I read a lot," Cromer said. "We have to educate ourselves."
His study overflows with books, magazines and reports from the various boards and organizations for which he volunteers. He estimates he averages more than 40 hours a week preparing for board meetings and visits to health-care facilities.
"It's become a passion with Archie to be very knowledgeable about health care; there's no question about it," said George Harvey, a member of Carilion's board and owner of Harvey Chevrolet in Radford.
Lester Lamb, president of Radford Community Hospital, said Cromer's immense dedication makes him a good board chairman.
"He's an extremely effective leader whose knowledge has grown with his development and exposure" in the health-care field, Lamb said. "In addition to having my respect, Archie is also a good friend."
\ Clearly, Cromer took over as board chairman at a very uncertain time for the health-care giant.
President Clinton is scheduled to unveil his health care reform package this month and Cromer said he is uncertain how it will affect hospital operators such as Carilion.
He hopes that the federal plan will put a new emphasis on preventive health care.
"Right now we aren't in the health-care business, we are in the sick business," he said. "Do you go to the hospital when you're feeling healthy?"
One aspect that Clinton's plan is likely to include is managed care, and Cromer thinks it will be an effective way for companies to control health insurance costs.
Under managed care, much like health maintenance organizations, companies contract with insurance companies for employees' health care needs.
The program would restrict which doctors or hospitals employees could use. Workers, for instance, couldn't see medical specialists unless referred by general practitioners.
"Right now the system is a mess," he said.
Clinton has said his plan will likely include a "play or pay" policy, requiring employers to provide health benefits or pay a tax to support a public plan that employees could join. An estimated 35 million Americans do not have health insurance.
Cromer said he agrees that all Americans should have the right to health insurance, but he's not convinced the government should be involved.
"The less government interference there is, the better off we'll be," he said. "It's no secret that the government isn't very effective."
Cromer spent most of last week in Washington talking to Virginia's congressional delegation about health-care reform. For that trip he had on his American Hospital Association hat. This month he'll visit the same Congress members as a representative of the Virginia Hospital Association.
"There's lots of travel, that's one nice thing about being on these boards," he said.
Hospitals must expand their roles and try to educate the community about some of the social problems that contribute to many health problems, Cromer said.
One of the biggest cost factors in the health-care industry, he said, can be directly linked to alcohol, drugs and tobacco.
It's up to the hospitals to show people "that they are going to have to take more responsibilities," he said. "Just look at all the teen-age pregnancies that could be prevented."
Cromer said the government also has to realize that Medicaid doesn't come anywhere close to paying the hospital's costs when a claim is filed.
Lucas Snipes, a senior vice president for Carilion, said the federal insurance program pays about 80 percent of a hospital's costs. "Guess who ends up making up the difference?" Cromer said. "The other customers. We can't provide services and not break even."
\ Born and raised in Montgomery County, Cromer spent afternoons during high school sweeping the floor and cleaning up at Cromer Furniture, the retail business his father started.
He attended the University of North Carolina for a short while, but returned home to receive his degree in business administration from Virginia Tech.
During World War II, Cromer was shipped to the Pacific Ocean, where he served as a Naval officer.
Before leaving for war, though, Cromer married his high school sweetheart, Ruth Charlton.
When asked his age, Cromer flashes a wide grin and says only: "Well, I'm older than 39." But without hesitation he rattled off that as of last Monday he and Ruth had been married 49 years and 39 days.
"She's my moral support," Cromer said.
After the war, Cromer joined the family business. After taking over from his father, he expanded the company until by the 1960s Cromer Furniture was one of the largest furniture stores in Southwest Virginia, trailing only stores like Stephenson & Aldridge and Grand Piano in Roanoke.
Those days in the furniture business serve him well as chairman of Carilion's board.
"I don't know that the furniture business is different from any other business," he said. "A lot of it's just common sense."
In 1985, Cromer decided to sell the business and began devoting more of his time to the business of health care.
But Cromer has another passion beyond health care - English sports cars.
In 1965 Cromer paid $4,500 for an almost-new, green, Jaguar-XKE that shows 160 mph on its speedometer.
"I've never gotten it all the way up there, but I've come close," he said.
Cromer still has that first Jaguar and has since bought seven more sports cars, including a 1954 Packard hardtop, a 1965 Sports Royster, a 1965 English Morgan and two more Jaguars. He often drives a 1978 Jaguar around town.
Most are kept in a huge garage adjacent to Cromer's house on a 150-acre farm. The farm has been in his wife's family since the 1770s.
Beef cattle still graze on the farm. Cromer said his 38-year-old son, Charlton, who lives nearby, manages the farm when he isn't working at Volvo-GM Heavy Truck Corp. in Dublin. The couple's oldest son, Archie III, 43, is an architect in Washington, D.C.
For now, Cromer said, he enjoys spending his retirement days working on health-care issues.
Carilion elects a board chairman every year, but there is no limit on how many times an individual can serve as chairman.
Robertson said Cromer could be leading Carilion for a long time.
"He's so well respected by his peers," he said. "I anticipate Archie serving much longer than one year."
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