William Roth, President & Managing Partner, Watson Clinic
Watson Clinic President, Managing Partner and practicing dermatologist Dr. William J. Roth spoke with Invest: about adopting new technologies and staying autonomous in a competitive field. “We’ve increased our provider count and our full partner count, enabling us to grow with the population and meet the demands of the healthcare market.”
What are the milestones and key achievements for Watson Clinic in the last year?
A major milestone for us was successfully integrating Epic back-office software for electronic medical records, billing, and scheduling. It’s made a remarkable difference in the clinic’s efficiency and improved the patient experience. Patients can self-schedule and manage their billing issues online. We can geofence our organization so we know when patients arrive, and they can save time using self-check in. It was a large, expensive project but it is already delivering benefits. We have also taken full control over our ambulatory surgery center. We had a partnership with a local hospital for many years, which was not very efficient. Having control over the facility is a benefit to our group and our patients. Given the increase in demand due to population increases in the area, we’ve raised our provider count and our full partner count, enabling us to grow with the population and meet the demands of the healthcare market.
How will technology and innovation continue to merge with the healthcare sector?
I like to be on the leading edge of technology. I’m excited about the changes that are occurring in the tech sector. We are piloting an ambient listening system with 25 of our doctors and many of them are pleased with the results. Before we started the pilot study, I experimented with it and was amazed at how well the technology worked. It will remove a burden from our physicians by aiding in work-life balance and removing work outside of patient care. AI will continue to be integrated into healthcare on all levels. The issue right now is that it is relatively nascent in its development, but as we have people concentrating on applying AI to the healthcare sector the advances will become remarkable. Security concerns exist regarding electronic medical records and protected health information. We will have to be careful about how we utilize these technologies.
How are the additions of new specialists, such as cardiologists and OBGYNs, aligning with the evolving healthcare needs of the community?
The demands in the area are increasing due to population growth and an aging population. We’ve been able to increase the number of partners and providers within our organization in direct response to the needs of the community. Watson Clinic represents over 40 specialties, with recent expansions in neurology, rheumatology, cardiology, radiology, anesthesia, and hand surgery.
What is your view of the healthcare industry in Tampa, and what trends are you seeing in how healthcare is provided?
We have a dynamic situation in Tampa Bay and across the state of Florida. The certificate of need requirement to build healthcare facilities was eliminated, allowing for increased competition and mobility by large healthcare groups to set up facilities. Competition leads to improved customer services and outcomes and helps meet the demands of the growing population.
How are you adapting to trends in ambulatory and in-home services?
We have a department dedicated to transitional care so that when patients leave the hospital, they understand discharge instructions and have proper follow-up appointments scheduled. We are not currently providing in-home services, but we are exploring the model for certain conditions. We are seeing the trend of in-home care reducing costs and improving efficiencies for some patients and healthcare payers.
How are you attracting and retaining skilled talent?
It’s a very competitive environment. What helps with recruitment and retention is providing a competitive salary and protecting work-life balance. Being a financially secure organization also helps attract talent. Watson Clinic is a private partnership, which comes with certain rights and protections that practicing physicians wouldn’t have in typical regional healthcare organizations. We are proudly physician-owned and physician-run. Every leadership position in our organization is occupied by a physician.
Healthcare costs are a critical concern for patients and providers. How is Watson Clinic working to mitigate these costs?
The healthcare industry has a difficult road ahead with inflationary pressures and demand for higher wages. The government wants to decrease healthcare outlays and cut Medicare, which creates financial constraints. Technology and analytical business software will help mitigate rising costs by creating more efficiencies. If you’re very good at what you do, even in a competitive environment, you’re going to do well because you’re going to attract talented individuals and patients. The macroeconomic environment of the healthcare sector is challenging and requires us to mitigate costs, become more efficient, and utilize technologies to help us stay that way.
How is Watson Clinic engaging with the local community to promote health, wellness, and disease prevention?
We host educational outreach programs through our privately-held Watson Clinic Foundation. We have an Arts in Medicine program that is housed in our Cancer & Research Center. We participate in community events and set up booths to teach people disease prevention measures, chronic care management techniques and more.
What makes the Lakeland and Tampa Bay area an attractive place for people moving into the region?
We’re an ideally located, medium-sized city with big-city advantages. We’ve experienced balanced growth and have a high quality of life with many opportunities for recreation and dining. Our location is close to Tampa and Orlando. Being centrally located has many benefits. You can go to Orlando and visit the theme parks, or travel to Tampa for major sporting venues. Lakeland is a vibrant place to live.
What are your top priorities for the clinic over the next two to three years?
Our vision is to maintain our private partnership for long-term autonomy to practice medicine the way we see fit. We are starting an affiliation with Orlando Health to build a new hospital opening in June 2026. We will be the exclusive providers to the hospital in a joint affiliation with co-branded marketing. This affiliation will strengthen Watson Clinic’s position while maintaining independence. Our partners and physicians will be part of a strong, high-quality healthcare organization, and our patients will have access to a new state-of-the-art facility. Affiliations, not consolidations, are a trend we’ll see moving forward, allowing synergy without losing autonomy.
