The ROI Influencers Power List 2020: Health Care

By
Robert F. Russo
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Barry Ostrowsky, Bob Garrett and Brian Gragnolati appeared in our Top 30 rankings.

Cathleen Bennett
CEO
New Jersey Hospital Association
It’s considered the hardest job in health care, balancing the needs of big systems and standalone hospitals and everything in between. Some would sit back and take on issues as they come, but Bennett’s style is to be out front, advocating for her members.


Marlene Caride
Commissioner of Banking & Insurance
State of New Jersey
She’s at the intersection of health care and insurance, working to make sure Affordable Care Act premiums in New Jersey stay competitive and do what they are supposed to do: Provide coverage for all.


Joseph Devine
President
Jefferson New Jersey
Devine is longtime leader of the hospital system formerly known as Kennedy Health, helping it win numerous quality, safety and workplace awards. He is the chair of the Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey and past chair of the New Jersey Hospital Association.


John DiAngelo
CEO
Inspira Health Network
DiAngelo, who announced in January he will retire at year’s end, has had quite a two-decade run at Inspira. Among other notable achievements, he doubled the access points for care, led the $34 million expansion of Inspira’s location in Vineland and oversaw the planning of its $356 million medical center in Mullica Hill.


Shereef Elnahal
CEO
University Hospital
Some questioned why he would leave state government to run one of the state’s most challenging hospitals. So far, he’s been more than up for the challenge — and has plenty more innovative ideas he’s still working to implement.


Tomas Gregorio
Senior executive director, health care systems innovation
New Jersey Innovation Institute
DeGregorio and NJII are part of the solution when it comes to health care, as he is using various government grants and his all-star colleagues to rethink the delivery of health care.


Scott Kobler
Partner
McCarter & English
Looking for the top lawyer in the ever-changing hospital consolidation world? Look no further than Kobler. Seemingly, no deals get done — or even discussed — without bringing him into the fold.


Jeff LeBenger
CEO
Summit Medical Group
The merger between Summit Medical Group and CityMD has only increased LeBenger’s profile as a national health care leader. He was named CEO of the combined organization, which aims to create a seamless experience for patients across a full spectrum of primary, specialty and urgent care in nearly 200 locations in New Jersey and New York.


Mike Maron
CEO
Holy Name Medical Center
In a health care world where consolidation is the norm, Maron continues to run Holy Name as a single-entity organization — and one that is the envy of many of the bigger systems. Maron and Holy Name are well ahead of the curve.


Kevin O’Dowd
Co-CEO
Cooper University Health Care
O’Dowd is helping Cooper further its role as one of the top health care providers not just in Camden but in all of South Jersey.


Trish O’Keefe
President, vice president
Morristown Medical Center, Atlantic Health System
O’Keefe runs the state’s top hospital, one that competes favorably with leading institutions in New York City, especially in the areas of cardiology and heart surgery as well as orthopedics, two specialized areas where Morristown is nationally ranked. O’Keefe started her career as a registered nurse.


Don Parker
President
HMH Behavioral Health System
The former head of Carrier Clinic is transitioning well into new role as a senior leader at Hackensack Meridian Health following the merger. His experience in the behavioral health field is helping Hackensack introduce and implement numerous new initiatives.


Judith Persichilli
Commissioner of health
State of New Jersey
The former head of University Hospital brings that executive experience, plus her background in nursing — she is in the New Jersey State Nurses Association Hall of Honor — to her role. Such a diverse and deeply rooted background made her the ideal choice to oversee such a wide-ranging department.


David Perlin
Chief scientific officer
Center for Discovery and Innovation
There are a few people to point to at CDI — and Chairman Sol Barer certainly comes to mind — but Perlin, the chief scientific officer, is running the show at a facility that assuredly will produce cutting-edge solutions to some of health care’s most pressing issues.


Jennifer Velez
Executive vice president, community and behavioral health
RWJBarnabas Health
Named one of the nation’s 25 top influencers in health care by Modern Healthcare, Velez has been at the forefront of many of RWJBH’s community efforts, leading the way in finding solutions for the opioid and behavioral health issues in the state among other issues.


Deborah Visconi
CEO
Bergen New Bridge Medical Center
She has breathed new life into the state’s largest hospital since taking over as CEO. She has invigorated the staff and the community and is putting the hospital in the forefront of behavioral initiatives.


Eric Whitman
Medical director
Atlantic Health System Cancer Care
The head of oncology services for Atlantic Health System Cancer Care, he recently helped launch the Breakthrough Oncology Accelerator, a pioneering research and clinical collaboration until at Morristown Medical Center.

Click below to see who landed in the Top 30 spots on the ROI Influencers Power List 2020:

Here’s the most powerful people in 13 industries:

And to read how a political scientist made the call on who was named No. 1 on the list, click here.