AccentCare announced late Thursday that its CEO, Steve Rodgers, would be stepping down.
Rodgers is a long-time veteran in the industry, and to see him go is large news in itself.
“Looking back to where we started and seeing where we stand now, I am incredibly proud of what we accomplished, and I look forward to working with Laura as she assumes the role of CEO,” Rodgers said in a statement regarding his decade-plus run at the company.
Based in Dallas, AccentCare is a provider of home health, hospice and palliative care. It has over 250 locations across 31 states, and is one of the largest home health providers in the country, up there with the likes of Enhabit Inc. (NYSE: EHAB), LHC Group, Amedisys Inc. (Nasdaq: AMED), CenterWell Home Health and Elara Caring.
Its next leader is Laura Tortorella, who will take over the CEO role at the beginning of October. The former COO of Steward Health Care, Tortorella has been on the health system side of the aisle since 2006.
According to her LinkedIn, the roles she held at Steward Health Care include: COO; EVP of operations; SVP of corporate operations; SVP and chief of staff; VP of operations and strategic initiatives, senior director of primary care and medical specialties; and director of practice operations.
Also based in Dallas, Steward Health Care operates 33 hospitals across Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas. It is also one of the nation’s largest accountable care organizations, according to the company’s website. Its network also includes multispecialty medical groups, urgent care centers, skilled nursing facilities and behavioral health centers.
Prior to her time at Steward Health Care, Laura Tortorella worked at Boston Children’s Hospital.
“I am honored and thrilled to join AccentCare,” she said in a statement. “I keenly understand the importance of high-quality post-acute care services in my role helping lead one of the nation’s largest health systems. For patients, family members, referring clinicians and health systems, it can be difficult to find a clinical partner in post-acute care. The role that AccentCare plays in our health care system is vital.”
It’s likely that Advent International – AccentCare’s private equity backer since 2019 – played a large role in picking Tortorella as Rodger’s replacement.
“Laura has one of the sharpest analytical and entrepreneurial mindsets in the field and has spent her entire career building highly functioning teams that are committed to culture, performance, accountability and collaboration,” Carmine Petrone, managing director at Advent International, also said in a statement. “She knows what is needed to maintain AccentCare’s position as a leader in the industry for years to come.”
Tortorella joins the home health industry at an interesting time.
Though home-based care is more in demand than it has ever been, home health providers are trying to navigate the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) slashing payment rates and Medicare Advantage’s growing influence.
As a health system veteran, one of her immediate priorities will be keeping health system partners happy despite referral rejection rates being at an all-time high.
Based on the press release, it appears Tortorella will be tasked with turning AccentCare into a more value-based enterprise. It specifically mentions a “significant opportunity to expand AccentCare’s relationships with health systems and payers.”
“She has seen firsthand the value of home health and hospice care within the continuum of post-acute services and understands the critical needs an organization like AccentCare is working to solve,” Petrone continued. “Laura is the right leader to bring AccentCare to new heights moving forward.”
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