Hospital system promotes from inside for new executive

FORT MYERS — Lee Health named Dr. Scott Nygaard chief operating officer.

Nygaard, most recently chief medical and clinical integration officer of the nonprofit health system, will now be responsible for all clinical operations, including hospitals, ambulatory, post-acute and ancillary services, according to a statement.

Nygaard joined Lee Health in 2010 as the chief medical officer for Lee Physician Group. While in that role, he aligned the management structure across all employed physicians and developed a cohesive Lee Physician Group brand, Lee Health officials say in the release. He also helped initiate the Florida State University College of Medicine Family Medicine Residency Program at Lee Health, to address the shortage of primary care physicians in the community, the release adds. Nygaard was promoted to Chief Medical Officer for the health system in 2016.

“Scott has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership in building collaborative relationships and is skilled at leading clinical and operational transformation to enhance care delivery and the patient experience,” Lee Health President and CEO Dr. Larry Antonucci says in the statement.