HEALTH CARE HEROES 2026 AWARDS
Physician: Dr. Michael Lee, Care New England Health System medical director of Kent Hospital at Home
What led you to choose health care as your profession? I took a long and very circuitous route to medicine. I studied economics in college and grad school and worked in the financial sector before changing course after Sept. 11, going back to school, and ultimately becoming an emergency physician in my 40s. I was attracted to emergency medicine because of the pace, the breadth of skills and knowledge it requires, and the challenge of walking into a room and earning people’s trust quickly when they’re in distress and looking to you for help.
How have you helped boost the quality of or access to health care? Hospital at Home programs, such as Kent’s, substitute traditional hospital-based care with care delivered in the home. Numerous studies have shown equal or better outcomes than “brick-and-mortar” hospitals – including fewer falls, medication errors, hospital-acquired infections, readmissions, and higher patient satisfaction – while also freeing up inpatient beds and reducing hospital crowding.
What is the biggest challenge you and your organization are facing this year?
Our program has been affected by the political gridlock in Washington, D.C. The CMS [Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services] waiver that authorizes Hospital at Home programs expired during the government shutdowns in October and January, forcing us to pause operations and transfer patients back to Kent Hospital. Fortunately, Congress extended the waiver for five years.
What more do you feel the state can do to help further support the health care sector in Rhode Island? Hospital capacity in Rhode Island is at critically high levels, with occupancy rates often at or above safe thresholds. My hope is that the state will promote Hospital at Home as a capacity-expansion strategy by encouraging further commercial plan coverage, supporting expanded EMT scope of practice to strengthen Mobile Integrated Health programs and facilitating adoption in rural and geographically underserved areas.
Are you confident patient access and quality of care will improve in Rhode Island over the next five years? Why or why not? I’m hopeful. I know there’s been a lot of attention on the negatives. But one bright spot is the $156 million Rural Health Transformation grant, which could help improve access and quality through stronger primary care, behavioral health, care coordination, and innovative models like Mobile Integrated Health and Hospital at Home.
