As health systems face mounting pressure to expand beyond hospital walls, Lawrence Antonucci, MD, president and CEO of Fort Meyer, Fla.-based Lee Health is betting the future belongs to health systems that build connected, community-based care ecosystems.
In a conversation with Becker’s, Dr. Antonucci discussed the strategic investments Lee Health is making in physician partnerships, ambulatory access and care coordination — and why technology, serves as an essential tool in executing the strategy. He also took aim at a long-standing assumption embedded in how most health systems operate: that patients should adapt to the system, not the other way around.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: What’s your biggest strategic bet on where healthcare is headed?
Dr. Lawrence Antonucci: My biggest strategic bet is that the future belongs to health systems that can create truly connected, community-based care ecosystems. Healthcare is moving beyond the walls of the hospital. Patients expect care to be accessible, coordinated, personalized, and available where they live, work and age. Technology and AI will be important accelerators, but they are not the strategy. The real differentiator will be an organization’s ability to integrate physicians, hospitals, ambulatory services, digital tools and community resources into a seamless experience centered on the patient. At Lee Health, we’re investing in physician partnerships, access, care coordination, technology and new models of community-based care because we believe the organizations that thrive will be those that improve outcomes, reduce complexity, and meet patients where they are — and where they’re going. Success will not be measured by the number of buildings we own, but by how effectively we help people stay healthy and navigate their healthcare journey. Healthcare is ultimately a local business built on trust. The systems that earn that trust by delivering access, convenience, quality and compassion will be the systems that lead the next generation of healthcare.
Q: What’s one sacred cow at your organization that needs to go?
LA: One sacred cow that healthcare must continue to challenge is the belief that patients should adapt to our system rather than the system adapting to patients. For decades, healthcare has been organized around facilities, departments, schedules, reimbursements and processes. While those structures were built with good intentions, they do not always align with how people want to access care today. The organizations that succeed in the future will be those willing to redesign care around the patient experience — making care easier to access, easier to understand and easier to navigate. That requires challenging long-standing assumptions, embracing innovation and being willing to change practices that no longer serve our mission. At Lee Health, our responsibility is not to protect traditions; it’s to ensure that every decision, advance access, quality and the health of the communities we serve.
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