Lakewood Ranch Medical Center begins to plan its future with a new CEO

Even now, a month after he started his job as chief executive officer at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, Jason Madsen still believes he is looking at the hospital with "outside eyes."

Madsen had been following the hospital's advancements over the last nine years when he began working for its parent company, Universal Health Services, in 2017.

He said sometimes those outside eyes come in handy and provide a different perspective because you might see something that those who work at the hospital on a day-to-day basis might not see.

"For whatever reason, some things aren't noticeable," he said.

That being said, Madsen is in no rush to come to any conclusions. At the end of his first month, he was still meeting staff members for the first time and becoming acquainted. 

"We still are creating short and long-term strategies," Madsen said. 

Madsen said one thing that has been evident since he took over on July 1 is the quality which has led to four-star ratings from "the industry," such as the four-star rating delivered by the Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating system issued by the U.S. Government's The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

There are 385 five-star hospitals in the U.S. and 953 four-star hospitals. The nation's other 1,865 hospitals are ranked three stars or lower.

Photo by Jay Heater

"Lakewood Ranch rises to the top in the general industry," he said. "But there always is room to improve. Each hospital defines itself."

One complaint he has heard from the public is that Lakewood Ranch Medical Center should offer more services so patients don't have to travel elsewhere for treatment.

While he said some of that could be true as Universal Health Services pours money into the facility to expand space, providers and technology, some of it is by design.

For example, he said Manatee Memorial of Bradenton, another Universal Health Services property, "thrives on (the open heart surgery) service line." He said other hospitals might specialize in a distinct area, such as being a designated burn center (Florida Blake of Bradenton is a designated burn center).

He said if all the hospitals in a region tried to be a specialized burn center, it could make it hard for those programs to survive because the cases are limited. Besides being loyal to a parent company or its system, hospitals also try to be good neighbors because the community benefits in the long run.

"We would never be a burn center," he said. "We try to make sure the critical mass is going to those facilities (that are designated burn centers)."

Understandably, the patients from the community can be upset if they have to drive 40 miles for treatment of their particular illness.

So while Lakewood Ranch Medical Center might not infringe on nearby hospitals that offer specialties, Madsen is looking to lead the 180-bed hospital into a future that will keep more local patients near home as the area continues its tremendous population growth.

"In a place like Lakewood Ranch, our plan is to provide 80% to 90% of what a community needs," Madsen said. "We essentially want to provide the greatest access to care as dictated by the needs of the community."

He quickly added that he doesn't like to put percentages on such a statement, but he wants to assure his community that the hospital will look into ways to keep those in need close to home.

In his example of Manatee Memorial having great open heart surgery services, he noted that "there will be a time when we will have that, too."

Madsen, whose previous role was as the interim CEO of Texoma Medical Center (Texas), said he is bullish on future of Lakewood Ranch Medical Center because everyone can see the investment that Universal Health Services continues to put into the facility.

Photo by Jay Heater

In 2019, the hospital celebrated its $28.5 million expansion and its new da Vinci Xi surgical system. Those da Vinci systems can cost approximately $2 million and the hospital currently has two of them with a third on the way this year.

"We want to excel in advanced technology," Madsen said. "We want those in our community to avoid heavy recovery time."

He added that superior technology also draws providers.

"We need to be a good steward of resources for doctors," Madsen said. "Patients choose the doctors and doctors choose the hospitals."

Of course, the biggest investment by UHS was a $120 million, five-story tower expansion that was completed in April.

Besides the expansion and the addition of another da Vinci surgical system, Madsen said Lakewood Ranch Medical Center is adding $1 million in surgical technology to its urology department while continuing to invest in the Women's and Children's Center with a neonatal ICU unit and adding more (Mako) robotics for its orthopedic surgeons.

He said his first month of meetings with doctors that utilize the hospital have been terrific.

"We ask them if there is anything we can do to support their practice," Madsen said. "UHS has illustrated an appetite to invest and keep up with (Lakewood Ranch's) growth."

He said the doctors have responded by saying, "How can I help you?"

He said the collaborations between staff and providers have exceeded his expectations.

Megan Batty, the hospital's director of marketing, said the hospital is open to being available to those in the community who want to know more about its offerings and its direction.

"How do we get the messages out?" Batty said. "We want to open that door. We will come to you."

Batty said those neighborhoods that want to set up a talk or a Q&A with the hospital can email [email protected].

Madsen said local residents will continue to see Lakewood Ranch Medical Center grow and improve.

"I am not saying everything is perfect," he said. "But the sky is the limit."