Atlantic Health System CEO Brian Gragnolati announces retirement

MORRISTOWN, NJ (Morris County) – The Atlantic Health System Board of Trustees this week announced that President & Chief Executive Officer, Brian Gragnolati, has shared his intention to retire.

Leader of the health system’s mission-driven success and strategic expansion since 2015, Gragnolati has enjoyed a storied 45-year career supporting patients and caregivers across the nation, including service as Board Chair of the American Hospital Association in 2019.

To ensure a seamless leadership transition, Gragnolati will continue in his current role until the Board of Trustees completes a successor search and the selected individual steps into the CEO role. At that time, Gragnolati will transition to a role as a special advisor to the Board.

“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,” said Board Chair Robert McCracken. “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.”

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.

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. 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, and in 2019, Modern Healthcare named Gragnolati to their list of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare.

“Stepping away from a profession that means so much to me is challenging, but the time is right,” noted Gragnolati. “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.”

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, the CEO 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 Governor 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.

Keen 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,” said AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack. “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.”

In 2023, Gragnolati was appointed by the federal government to its Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Cybersecurity Advisory Committee (CSAC). Tasked with leading the national effort to understand and reduce risks to America’s digital and physical infrastructure, CISA is the operational component of the Department of Homeland Security that serves as national coordinator for infrastructure security and cyber defense. Selected for health care expertise acquired over his 45-year career, Gragnolati is proud to share his insights with CISA and CSAC on the nation’s most pressing health concerns.

Gragnolati has devoted his entire career to the country’s health care ecosystem, following three golden rules that prioritize patients first and foremost, followed by team member safety and engagement, and finally, financial stability. Prior to his tenure at Atlantic Health, he served as Senior Vice President, Community Division of Johns Hopkins Medicine and as President and CEO of Suburban Hospital. He also previously held executive positions at WellSpan Health in Pennsylvania, Medical Center Hospital of Vermont (now University of Vermont Health Network), and Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Gragnolati is a member of the Board of Directors of Provident Financial Services, LLC, serving the financial needs of businesses and individuals in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. He also serves as Executive Partner of Concord Health Partners, a health care-focused investment firm, and as a Director of Revology, a firm pursuing technology-enabled health care revenue cycle management. Gragnolati formerly served on the Board for Millburn’s Paper Mill Playhouse and as an Advisory Trustee for Liberty Science Center in Jersey City.

Gragnolati earned a bachelor’s degree in Health Systems Analysis from the University of Connecticut, an MBA from Western New England College, and an Executive Leadership Certificate from the JFK School at Harvard University.