Letters of Support
Physician leaders support Lee Health conversion
Change allows enhanced partnerships with physicians, preserves safety-net mission
Submitted by Dr. Malissa Wood, chief physician executive, Lee Health Heart Institute, Dr. Mark Roh, chief physician executive, Lee Health Cancer Institute and Dr. Thomas Hunt, chief physician executive, Lee Health Musculoskeletal Institute
As physicians and leaders of the cancer, heart, and musculoskeletal service lines at Lee Health, we take immense pride in our colleagues and team members who work tirelessly to ensure that every person who comes through our doors receives exceptional, person-centered care. Our commitment to our patients and residents of Lee County is unwavering. It was with this dedication in mind that the Lee Health Board of Directors voted overwhelmingly on June 13 to move forward with the process to convert Lee Health from a government entity to a community-focused nonprofit. As physician leaders, we strongly support this decision.
After thoroughly reviewing the in-depth third-party evaluation of the proposed conversion, attending informational sessions, participating in workgroups and having conversations with fellow Lee Health leaders, we believe that this move is essential to preserving our safety-net mission and allowing us to continue to serve all residents in our community, regardless of their ability to pay.
In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare marketplace, Lee Health must adapt to maintain its legacy of care and seize new opportunities to improve the entire care delivery system. This new structure would ensure that physicians have a greater voice in system-wide decisions, keeping patient access and well-being at the forefront. By converting, we could expand our geographic reach to address our region’s changing needs better.
As physicians who have worked for private nonprofit systems in the past, we understand this change to be a necessary one for Lee Health to fairly compete in today’s healthcare landscape. This change holds a significant advantage: enhanced partnerships with physicians. Lee Health’s current governmental structure limits these possibilities. By working more closely with doctors, Lee Health can refine and strengthen its services, leading to direct improvements in care. This shift will not only enhance patient care but also foster stronger physician partnerships, creating a more optimistic and hopeful future for Lee Health.
We appreciate the Board of Directors' commitment to transparency throughout this process. They have taken time to address physicians’ questions and discussed what impact, if any, conversion would have on our colleagues and practices through a number of town halls and in-person meetings. Their commitment to keeping physicians – and the community - informed and engaged has been exemplary, and we fully support the Board of Directors’ vote to move forward with conversion. This level of transparency and community engagement reassures us that our voices are heard, and our concerns are addressed, making us feel more involved in the decision-making process.
Our commitment to our mission is stronger than ever, and our dedication to excellence and innovation drives us to explore new avenues for growth and improvement. The more we learn about this process, the more potential we see for preserving and enhancing what Lee Health does best: caring for our patients. Today, Lee Health has the region’s best cancer, heart, and musculoskeletal services, and we are investing over $1 billion in our community in the next five years to take it even further. We are excited about the future and the opportunities that lie ahead for Lee Health and our community. This excitement and optimism about the future of Lee Health and our community is what inspires us to continue our mission of providing exceptional care.
I support conversion of Lee Health to community nonprofit
Providers need large enough insured patient base to cover costs of serving under or uninsured
Submitted by Mike Martin, former president of Florida Gulf Coast University
As a Lee County citizen, retiree, taxpayer, former president of Florida Gulf Coast University and a long-time satisfied patient of Lee Health, I stand firmly in favor of the conversion of Lee Health to a community-focused nonprofit health system. From my extensive experience and observations across a number of communities, it is clear to me that conversion is a crucial step to adapt to the current marketplace and secure the longevity and quality of Lee Health’s services in our community and as a safety-net provider for those without the ability to pay for their health care.
I have personally witnessed similar transitions in cities like Philadelphia, Chicago, New Orleans and my hometown of Crosby-Ironton, Minnesota. Each of these communities faced the decision to transform their health care systems to preserve the ability to care for its citizens, and the decision Lee Health faces now is no different. In Crosby-Ironton specifically, a town of 3,000, the primary hospital went bankrupt. In response, the surrounding communities organized a private nonprofit called Cuyuna Medical Center, which has since become one of the best health care providers in Northern Minnesota. This change allowed for the expansion of services from a small population to 80,000 people, ensuring that residents, including my parents, would not have to travel long distances for high-quality care. This transformation was not only beneficial for the community, it was essential. Similarly, Lee Health must adapt to continue providing high-quality care to our community.
Lee Health’s current system structure, while historically effective, is already under significant pressure due to changes in competition, costs, reimbursement and public policy. It is more difficult than ever to provide high-quality care, and these pressures will only continue to grow in the future.
By converting, Lee Health would have the opportunity to compete on a level playing field in a challenging health care economy and expand its services to meet patients where they are. Institutions like the Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic have proven that growth and expansion are necessary to be as effective as possible. Lee Health currently faces geographic constraints that limit its potential, and conversion would allow the opportunity to overcome these limitations and provide care to even more patients.
Finally, conversion ensures that Lee Health can maintain and strengthen its mission, ensuring that it remains our community’s safety-net provider, caring for patients regardless of their ability to pay. Under the current model, the economic pressure will prove to be too great, and a safety net full of holes is no safety net at all.
The reality of contemporary health care economics is clear and undeniable. Providers need a large enough insured patient base to cover the costs of serving the under or uninsured. Additionally, the patient base must also be substantial enough to achieve the cost-controlling economies of size to cover the high costs of facilities, technology and specialized care. Without this, the alternative is a substantial and likely increasing taxpayer subsidy, which Lee Health will not do. While perhaps seen as unfortunate to some it is nonetheless unambiguously true. Lee Health must move to fully adapt to this truth. Therefore, I support the conversion of Lee Health for the betterment of both the health system and the community it serves.