Just last week, the Lee Health Board of Directors and leadership team received the results of a months-long evaluation conducted by healthcare consulting firm Kaufman Hall to determine whether returning to our original structure as a community-focused nonprofit from our current structure as a special district/government nonprofit would be in the best interest of the residents of Lee County.
We now enter the second phase of the evaluation process, the Discernment Phase, during which the Lee Health Board of Directors has up to 120 days to consider its decision. The evaluation report is comprehensive and consists of over 90 pages detailing the process, the potential benefits and implications of both pathways, as well as case studies of other health systems that have gone through a similar conversion process.
The report acknowledges that Lee Health would continue to face systematic, operational, strategic, political and financial challenges, along with regional and local competitive pressures, no matter which structure we choose. The report lays out many benefits to conversion as well as some financial implications. The report’s overall finding is essentially that we should continue the conversion process, so that we can evaluate the potential benefits of the strategic and operational opportunities as the Board of Directors considers the decision over the next 120 days.
The board, leadership team and I will now take the necessary time to study and analyze the report in full to gather a complete understanding of all the information presented. Whatever decision we come to, we will not do so lightly or abruptly. Our commitment to Lee Health’s mission remains our top priority and I am confident that, together, we will decide on a path that creates the best possible future for our health system and for the many stakeholders we serve.
The board and Lee Health leadership team have until June 20 of this year to come to a decision on whether to continue with the conversion process. If we decide to move forward with conversion then we would enter the third and final phase of this process, the Negotiation Phase, which involves negotiating terms for an agreement with the Lee County Board of County Commissioners.
I am grateful for the hard work that went into developing this report by Kaufman Hall and the other advisors, the time and effort the board took to understand the evaluation process, and the engagement of our leadership team and team members. I am especially inspired by the involvement and interest of our community members through their attendance at our six town halls and public hearing and for the questions you submitted to our dedicated website LeeHealth.org/LookingAhead.
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Larry Antonucci, M.D., MBA is the president & CEO of Lee Health, Southwest Florida’s major destination for health care offering acute care, emergency care, rehabilitation and diagnostic services, health and wellness education, and community outreach and advocacy programs. Visit LeeHealth.org to learn more.