Laura Tortorella will join Dallas-based AccentCare, one of the largest and highest quality post-acute healthcare providers in the nation, as CEO on October 2.

The company said current CEO Steve Rodgers will step down after 11 years and serve as an adviser through the remainder of the year to assist in a successful transition.

“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. She knows what is needed to maintain AccentCare’s position as a leader in the industry for years to come,” said Carmine Petrone, managing director at Advent International, one of the largest and most experienced global private equity investors, and owner of AccentCare. “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. Laura is the right leader to bring AccentCare to new heights moving forward.”

Petrone said he also wanted to recognize Rodgers’ contributions.

“At the same time, I want to thank Steve for his many contributions to the success of the organization after being at the helm for more than a decade as CEO. He has been a trusted partner, and I wish him the best in the future,” Petrone said.

Meeting the ‘country’s growing post-acute care needs’

Tortorella takes over the top spot after serving as the chief operational officer at Steward Health System since 2020 and with the organization since 2010.

As COO, Tortorella led Steward through the most complex of operational challenges, including managing supply chain and labor management during the COVID-19 pandemic and leading integration efforts for all of Steward’s acquisitions.

AccentCare said that she brings extensive expertise to the home health space after serving as a leader for an organization that operates as an integrated healthcare delivery system, performed as an industry leading ACO, and has more than 30,000 employees, 33 community hospitals across nine states, and a medical group of more than 1,700 providers.

Tortorella said she understands the role AccentCare plays in the current value-based health care environment and sees significant opportunity to expand its relationships with health systems and payors.

Tortorella said she intends to use her experience bringing stakeholders together through a data-driven approach to identify where AccentCare can create new partnerships with health systems and payors to deliver more high-quality care to patients in need.

“I am honored and thrilled to join AccentCare. 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,” Tortorella said in a statement. “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, and I look forward to working with the 30,000 compassionate AccentCare professionals across the nation to meet the country’s growing post-acute care needs.”

“Reimagining home care”

AccentCare said that it has been at the forefront of “reimagining home care to transform health care, and its patients’ lives, for the better.”

Under Rodgers’ leadership, AccentCare has expanded to 255 locations serving 31 states and the District of Columbia, and its workforce has grown to more than 30,000 employees focused on high quality patient care.

“I have had the honor of working with an incredible team at AccentCare for more than a decade,” Rodgers said in a statement. “During that time, the organization has experienced growth through the expansion of existing services into new markets, creation of joint ventures with leading health systems, acquisitions and mergers and the addition of new care offerings. 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.”

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