With a medical practice spanning more than 25 years, Dr. Donald L. Kramer has been instrumental in the development of several ambulatory surgical centers (ASC's) in the Houston market. Serving as President and Medical Director for Northstar Healthcare Inc., Kramer leads the organization that includes several client entities, such as River Oaks Pain Management, The Palladium for Surgery-Houston and The Palladium for Surgery-Dallas. In addition to maintaining an active pain management practice, Kramer coordinates care provided by the medical staff, establishes policies and is responsible for ensuring state and federal compliance at each of the facilities.

Under his guidance, Northstar Healthcare is providing strategic leadership and coordination for the merger and acquisition of several Houston-based ASCs. Kramer is founder and co-owner of River Oaks Pain Management, a large and successful private pain management practice serving patients with three Houston-area offices since 1996. He is the founding partner of The Palladium for Surgery-Houston, a multi-specialty surgery facility with a medical staff of more than 30 active surgeons founded in 2003. Kramer also is the majority shareholder of the anesthesia group serving the facility.

In addition to developing Palladium for Surgery, he and his management team acquired an under-performing ASC from HealthSouth in 2005 and have since turned The Palladium for Surgery-Dallas into another profitable venture for Northstar Healthcare.

Kramer has been instrumental in the development of numerous other Texas ambulatory surgery centers. Since the mid-1990s, Kramer has served as founder, partner and/or board member at five highly successful and profitable surgical centers in Houston. Centers in which Kramer has been an individual investor include:

• West Houston Surgical Center, founding partner in 1995, sold to public company in 1997;
• Texas Outpatient Surgical Center, sold to public company in 1998;
• East Houston Surgical Center, founding partner in 1996, sold investment position in 1997;
• River Oaks Surgical Center, founding partner in 1996, sold investment in 2000;
• Summit Surgical Center, partner from 2000 to 2002.

In addition, he is a founding partner of and large shareholder in Foundation Surgery Affiliates (FSA), which operates and manages 19 surgical and radiology centers in Texas, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma and New Jersey. FSA has eleven more surgical centers under development or active construction in those states, as well as in Ohio and Indiana. FSA opened a $62 million, 126,000-square-foot surgical hospital with 65 patient rooms in Houston in March 2006. Dr. Kramer diverted himself of his significant ownership in FSA in early 2006.

Kramer is an active member of the Harris County Medical Society, Texas Medical Association and Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society, and previously served on the faculty of Baylor College of Medicine and The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

He received a Bachelor of Science degree in premedical studies and statistics from Penn State University in 1977, and his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia in 1981.

Kramer and his wife Ilene have four girls, including five-year-old triplets.

Contact Donald L. Kramer, MD: DKramer@Northstar-Healthcare.com