Frequently Asked Questions Archive

In 2016, aligning with the 100th anniversary of the first hospital, Lee Memorial Health System began operating as Lee Health, celebrating our transformation from one hospital into a vibrant, full-service health system and our elevated focus on improving the health of our community. We made this change using a common legal provision called a “DBA,” which means “Doing Business As.” By taking this path, we were able to update our brand while leaving the legal structure of Lee Memorial Health System unchanged – saving time and resources.

Why Engage a Third-Party:The Enabling Legislation requires that we hire an independent firm following the Aug. 31 vote by Lee Health’s Board of Directors to evaluate the potential benefits to Lee County residents of a return to a community-focused nonprofit health system structure.

What’s Being Considered: The independent firm we’ve engaged, Kaufman Hall, is collecting relevant information to assess how transitioning to a community-focused nonprofit structure would impact community members, patients and employees, including but not limited to:

• The viability of the safety-net system, continuance of safety-net services and any impacts on indigent care
• Long-term economic outlook
• Potential impact on medical provider recruitment
• Bonding capability
• Sovereign immunity
• Student loan forgiveness for employees
• Many others

The evaluation process also includes, analyzing the effect of such a decision and considering all implications to determine whether a change would benefit Lee County residents.

Yes. The Board of County Commissioners is under no obligation to negotiate or agree to proposed contractual terms required for Lee Health to convert from its current special district/government structure to a community-focused nonprofit structure.

In the same way that Lee Health’s Board of Directors is conducting an evaluation to determine whether a conversion is in the best interest of Lee County residents, the Board of County Commissioners will also be looking to determine what, if any, benefits conversion would offer to Lee County residents. The BOCC is responsible for ensuring that Lee County’s resources are put to their highest and best use and are used for the benefit of community residents.

At the Aug. 31 Board Meeting, the Board voted to begin an evaluation to determine the potential benefits to the residents of Lee County of converting Lee Health to a community-focused nonprofit health system. The evaluation process will be conducted by an independent evaluation firm, as required by the Enabling Legislation, and could take up to 180 days.

Significant work must be done to gather and analyze the data and other information that will help us determine the optimal structure for Lee Health. We must conduct appropriate due diligence and follow the process set forth by the Florida legislature.

Our in-depth structure evaluation is looking at every aspect of our organization, including board structure and compensation. The members of LHBOD are committed to transparency and ensuring the findings of the evaluation are as accurate and applicable as possible. With this in mind, they voted on a future board membership structure and compensation policy so that Kaufman Hall’s assessment could more closely reflect what would occur if conversion is pursued and approved in the future.