It won’t open for another 15 months, but the 7-story hospital under construction at the corner of Lakeland Highlands Road and the Polk Parkway has already announced a major change.
Orlando Health has entered into a partnership with local, physician-owned Watson Clinic. As a result, the new hospital will now be the Orlando Health Watson Clinic Lakeland Highlands Hospital.
Not a merger or acquisition: There has been a lot of consolidation in the health care industry over the past decade, with at least 831 major mergers and acquisitions nationwide. The flurry of activity has included many hospitals buying physician groups.
But that is not the case here. “This is not a merger or acquisition,” Orlando Health spokeswoman Sandra Bentil said.
The organizations’ joint news release described it as a “collaboration,” an “affiliation” and an “alignment.”
Watson Clinic has more than 200 board-certified physicians representing more than 40 medical and surgical specialties. Orlando Health has 26 hospitals, not including this one, plus 11 freestanding emergency rooms.
What does it mean? Many Watson Clinic doctors have admitting privileges at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center and see patients there. But once the new hospital is built, they’ll likely refer patients to the affiliated hospital first.
Watson Clinic doctors have been “heavily involved” in designing the new hospital alongside Orlando Health experts, the news release said.
“There will be numerous Watson Clinic Doctors on staff at Orlando Health Watson Clinic Lakeland Highlands Hospital,” Bentil said.
Not the first, but one of the biggest: This is not Orlando Health’s first physician collaboration. Bentil listed several others including Orlando Health Medical Group FHV Health, Florida Medical Clinic Orlando Health and Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute.
However, the $166 million, 302-bed Lakeland hospital is “one of the largest hospital capital investments Orlando Health has made,” said Carlos Carrasco, senior vice president, Orlando Health Midwest Region.
When it opens in June 2026, it will have 69 emergency and 18 intensive care beds, 11 operating rooms, four cardiac suites and a birthing center with eight labor and delivery rooms.
“A 12-bed neonatal intensive care unit will debut shortly after the hospital opens,” the release said.
Competitive environment: The Orlando Health Watson Clinic hospital will be Lakeland’s second. The city is due to get a third in 2027 when AdventHealth opens a 10-story hospital on Harden Boulevard.
Both the Orlando Health and AdventHealth facilities are likely to put pressure on Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, which is rated lower than the others on most national scales.
However, LRHMC has made recent gains, including adding a graduate medical program, regaining its comprehensive stroke certification and opening a new freestanding emergency room on South Florida Avenue.
All three hospital systems are nonprofits.
Cindy Glover is a reporter for LkldNow, a nonprofit newsroom providing independent local news for Lakeland. Read at LkldNow.com.
