WINK News looks at patient trends across Lee Health

As 2021 comes close to an end, Southwest Florida’s largest health care system is looking at its year in review. WINK News got a sneak peek at the massive shift in patient trends that Lee Health has seen.

Patsy Gottwald got to Lee Health bright and early. Her husband was having a melanoma removed. “We had to be here at 6:40. And he’s in surgery now,” said Gottwald.

The hospital actually was not their destination. Instead, the Gottwalds went to an outpatient center at Coconut Point. In just a few hours, they’ll be in the car, headed home.

“At a hospital, you don’t get any rest until you get home. So why not just have it and go home?” Gottwald said.

Lee Health Chief Operating Officer Dr. Scott Nygaard ultimately oversees outpatient services. This is the health system’s largest year-over-year trend. From 2020 to 2021, outpatient rose by almost 11%. At that same time, inpatient surgeries dropped by two percent.

“I think that’s occurred for a number of different reasons. Partially, technology has allowed us to move cases out there. Anesthesia doesn’t always have to be general. Sometimes you can have localized blocks,” Nygaard said. “There’s availability of facilities now in our community, and patients and consumers are more open to having procedures done in an outpatient setting.”

COVID-19 concerns likely contributed to this spike since people were keen on avoiding hospitals. This shift toward outpatient procedures is a trend nationwide. Health professionals see it as a positive.

“It’s just allowed for quicker recovery for people to get back home where they really want to be able to spend their time. They’re able to ambulate and be more active quickly,” Dr. Nygaard said. “Which helps with the healing process, keeps their gut moving, reduces the risk of, you know, complications, like blood clots, post-surgery.”

Lee Health foresaw this trend when it opened the coconut Point location three years ago. “We felt that we could take care of 85% of all the conditions that occur in the community without a hospital bed,” said Dr. Nygaard.

There’s comfort in knowing that he is recovering at home for Patsy and her husband. “I will be a good nurse. I’m going to take great care of him,” said Gottwald.

It’s not just that surgery itself is seeing an outpatient bump. Imaging, endoscopies, and rehab are also shifting from hospitals toward consumer-friendly settings.