Two physicians, a deliberate launch, and a practice designed from the ground up around what skilled nursing facilities actually need.
Dr. Ramón Santos and Dr. Joseph Varnau met as physicians working across the post-acute continuum — primary care, hospital medicine, and skilled nursing. Again and again they saw the same pattern: clinically sound facilities undermined by gaps between hospitals, providers, families, and SNF teams.
The patients caught in those gaps were the ones who suffered most. So they decided to build a practice designed around closing them.
Dr. Santos and Dr. Varnau begin formalizing a provider model designed around constant, deliberate communication with families, SNF authorities, and referring physicians.
The company is incorporated in Indianapolis with a singular focus: provider-led care that elevates the SNFs we serve to the top of their local market.
The team engages healthcare attorneys and billing partners, finalizes process design, and brings on Christine Inman, NP and Tosha Forshey, NP — the founding nurse practitioners.
Lead Physicians aims to begin delivering care at its first partner skilled nursing facility — with an intentionally limited expansion plan to ensure every facility receives the time, top-tier personnel, and processes it deserves.
We will only take on a new facility when we have the resources in spades — time, personnel, and processes — to deliver on our promise. Reputation is built one facility at a time.
We’re building Lead Physicians to last — not to scale fast. That means we’ll never take on a new facility if we don’t have the time, the people, and the processes to deliver an exceptional standard of care from day one.
It also means our partner facilities can trust that the team you meet on day one is the team that will be with you on day one thousand.
Move quickly — but with sound footing.Our operating principle
Reach out and we’ll start the conversation.
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