Brian Gragnolati, who has helped Atlantic Health System to unprecedented levels of recognition in quality of care while positioning the system to future success through timely expansion measures, has announced his intention to retire, the system’s Board of Trustees said Tuesday.
To ensure a seamless leadership transition, Gragnolati will continue in his current role until the board finds his successor – a process that will begin in the coming weeks. When a successor is found, Gragnolati will transition to a role as a special advisor to the board.
Gragnolati will be a tough act to follow.
The leader of the health system’s mission-driven success and strategic expansion since 2015, he has helped Atlantic earn numerous accolades, including having its flagship hospital, Morristown Medical Center, be named the No. 1 hospital in the state on numerous occasions by U.S. News & World Report.
In addition, Gragnolati has helped the system expand smartly with a unique acquisition of Freehold-based CentraState Healthcare in 2021 – and the expected completion of a strategic partnership with New Brunswick-based Saint Peter’s Healthcare System in 2025.
It’s all been part of a storied 45-year career supporting patients and caregivers across the nation, including service as Board Chair of the American Hospital Association in 2019.
Board Chair Robert McCracken said Gragnolati’s impact on Atlantic Health has been huge.
“Brian’s lifelong commitment to building healthier communities – from his very first role as an emergency medical technician – has been our north star for the last decade,” he said. “His thoughtful, inclusive leadership empowered our board and team to navigate an unprecedented global pandemic, the transformative journey to value-based care, and record setting growth across New Jersey.
“Along with our deepest thanks, the entire Atlantic Health System family extends our warmest wishes to Brian for his extremely well-deserved next chapter.”
Gragnolati said he is ready to transition to a new role.
“Stepping away from a profession that means so much to me is challenging, but the time is right,” he said. “Ten years at Atlantic Health System have flown by, working alongside truly special people who care for people. The last decade has been a capstone to my 45 years in health care, and I now find myself looking forward more and more to time with my growing family, who live across the country.”
Under Gragnolati’s leadership, Atlantic Health System has been continually recognized for high-quality, compassionate care, surpassing national benchmarks set by U.S. News & World Report, The Leapfrog Group, Healthgrades, and more. The reach of the not-for-profit has grown significantly over the last decade, powered by 5,400 physicians and 21,000 team members at 550 distinct sites of care across 14 counties.
And thanks in large part to Gragnolati’s commitment to measuring organizational success by the number of lives touched by the system, Atlantic Health now cares for more than one million people annually, up 50% from the CEO’s arrival.
More importantly, Atlantic Health has been continually lauded for its efforts as a workplace leader.
Guided by strong strategic planning, the system’s outstanding workplace culture and innovative spirit has been recognized time and again by Forbes, Becker’s Healthcare, Newsweek, CHIME, Fortune and Modern Healthcare. In 2019, Modern Healthcare named Gragnolati to their list of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare.
A nationally respected advocate for hospitals and health systems and frequent speaker at health and technology forums such as South by Southwest and Harvard Business School, Gragnolati devoted his service as CEO to improving patient access to affordable care, creating unique partnerships that benefit patients and caregivers, and protecting the organization from cyberthreats and the ever-evolving challenges facing the health care field.
A pivotal moment of advocacy came in 2020 with the arrival of COVID-19.
As New Jersey was among the first states impacted, Gragnolati committed to providing real-time public health guidance through national media, a strategy to help hospitals nationwide prepare for the deadly virus making its way to their communities. Gragnolati had plenty of insights to share, as the Atlantic Health team cared for 800 COVID patients simultaneously at the pandemic’s height. The system pioneered clinical research on immune responses, partnering with international academic medical centers to seek therapies and a vaccine.
Gragnolati was selected by Gov. Phil Murphy for the Office of the Governor’s COVID-19 Restart & Recovery Advisory Council and Professional Advisory Committee. By year end, Atlantic Health had opened New Jersey’s first vaccine mega-site, which protected tens of thousands of residents and became a model of safety and efficiency replicated at future vaccine centers across the state.
Throughout the ordeal, Gragnolati’s two-fold commitment to always keep the system’s doors open while protecting team members through every available measure set the tone for a well-organized, compassionate approach to unprecedented challenges.
Years before COVID’s arrival, Gragnolati set to work early in his tenure to strengthen and expand Atlantic Health’s clinically integrated network. He elevated quality and innovation systemwide through the recruitment and engagement of industry-leading physicians and clinicians, providing patients with groundbreaking new therapies and lifesaving research. He heavily invested in the development of Atlantic Medical Group, now one of the largest primary and specialty physician practices in New Jersey, which is physician-led and governed, thanks to the CEO’s commitment.
Gragnolati was a go-to source for information by ROI-NJ during the pandemic, regularly providing insights about how the health care sector was changing to handle the situation – and how it will change moving forward, including this story.
For those reasons and more, he was annually a top ROI-NJ Influencers selection as one of the most impactful business leaders in health care and around the state.
Gragnolati’s impact at Atlantic went well beyond COVID. He was a leader in cost containment, too.
Eager to pursue a journey to value-based care, Gragnolati doubled down on the health system’s investment in accountable care organizations. He developed innovative relationships with insurers and provided new technology and resources to physicians to encourage better-coordinated, proactive care for patients. These risk arrangements and quality experiments, made possible by the Affordable Care Act, have remained successful throughout the CEO’s tenure, elevating quality, tackling chronic conditions and health equity, and saving Medicare $200 million.
The system further advanced Gragnolati’s mission for access to affordable care through the creation of the Healthcare Transformation Consortium, a collaborative of six regional hospitals and health systems devoted to improving care for employees and their dependents. The unique partnership, designed and led by Atlantic Health System, provides greater choice and access to care for employees of the six member organizations, while reducing the administrative fees associated with providing employee health benefits.
Gragnolati’s time at the helm has driven the expansion of Atlantic Health System across New Jersey. In 2021, the organization created a unique model for health system co-ownership through the acquisition of a 51% interest in Freehold-based CentraState Healthcare System. In joining forces with its longstanding partner from the Healthcare Transformation Consortium, Atlantic Health System delivered immediate benefits to patients, physicians, and caregivers in CentraState’s communities by strengthening its integrated clinical services, physician network, and infrastructure through implementation of an electronic medical record and a capital investment of $135 million.
Growth through strategic partnerships is poised to continue in 2025 with Atlantic Health’s acquisition of Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, another Healthcare Transformation Consortium partner, pending federal, state and church approvals for the proposed transaction. Supported by the systems’ shared history of collaboration and aligned missions, the proposed transaction would include substantial investments in a new electronic medical record, expansion of outpatient services and population health strategies, and advanced data analytics to improve patient therapies and outcomes.
A crucial element in supporting growth has been Atlantic Health’s transition to a competency-based board, accomplished early in Gragnolati’s tenure. The CEO partnered with Board leadership to move from a traditional, representational governance structure to one based on competencies. Shifting from a ‘friends and family’ approach for trustee recruitment required identification of specific skills and experiences that would add value to strategic initiatives.
The Board then retained a leading executive search firm to fill vacant trustee positions with individuals from across the nation who demonstrated desired competencies. This evolution has been tremendously beneficial, infusing strategic planning with the right knowledge and experience to help navigate the complexities of today’s health care landscape.
Beyond Atlantic Health’s reach, Gragnolati has been engaged with the American Hospital Association (AHA) for over 20 years, including serving as Chairman of its Board of Trustees in 2019 and as a member of its Healthcare Advisory Council to the FBI. In April 2024, AHA presented Gragnolati with the Distinguished Service Award, its highest honor, at a poignant ceremony at its Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.
As part of his American Hospital Association commitment, Gragnolati devoted time to chairing its Operations Committee, Committee on Health Care Strategy & Innovation, and Section for Metropolitan Hospitals Council. He served on the AHA Executive and Nominations Committees, Regional Policy Board, Next Generation Physician Engagement Task Force, and a diverse range of advisory groups. In appreciation for Gragnolati’s advocacy, the AHA twice honored him through its Partnership for Action Grassroots Champion Award.
“Brian has truly made a difference in improving the lives of so many people in America, which is why he is an inspiration to countless others,” AHA CEO Rick Pollack said. “Throughout his career from EMT to CEO, he has always kept the patient at the center of every decision. As someone whose team was at the epicenter of the COVID battle, Brian provided great leadership in not only protecting his community, but in shaping AHA’s strategies for relief, recovery, and rebuilding. I personally benefited from almost daily phone calls where he provided advice and counsel.
“As AHA Board chair, Brian asked the right questions and was a consensus builder. The AHA is a better organization and the field is stronger for his leadership and service.”
