AtlantiCare Announces VISION 2030--its Ambitious 6-Year Plan Advancing Systemwide Strategies and Bringing in Powerful New Partnerships to Transform Healthcare

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Apr 10, 2024, 16:30 ET

President and CEO Michael J. Charlton launches a robust plan to achieve measurable goals in improving social determinants of health, expanding medical education opportunities and setting the pace for nationwide technology improvements through "AtlantiCare Powered by Oracle Health."

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., April 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — AtlantiCare — the region's largest healthcare organization and largest non-casino employer, with more than 6,500 team members and providers serving the community in more than 100 locations — recently unveiled its VISION 2030. The six-year initiative reflects the ambitious, people-driven and reimagined approach of AtlantiCare under the leadership of President and CEO Michael J. Charlton, who was appointed to the position in October 2023. VISION 2030 also launches with the strength of several new partnerships including Oracle Health, representing a significant leap forward in AtlantiCare's digital transformation strategy. In addition, a clinical training affiliation with Drexel University College of Medicine will focus on medical education programs that grow and diversify the healthcare talent pipeline. AtlantiCare also announced that it is bringing world-renowned clinical excellence to the region through an affiliation with Cleveland Clinic Cancer Institute and a partnership with Global Neurosciences Institute.

Michael J. Charlton, President and CEO, AtlantiCare announces VISION 2030.

VISION 2030 is focused on transforming the way healthcare is defined, measured and delivered nationwide. AtlantiCare's plan prioritizes better outcomes achieved through innovation, compassion, integrity and humanity. Founded on AtlantiCare's 125 years as an anchor institution in the region, VISION 2030 continues AtlantiCare's deeply held commitment to improving health throughout the communities it serves by anticipating and adapting to changing influences on health globally, regionally and locally. The plan is shaped by four strategic pillars — serving community, workplace excellence, accelerating transformation and growing market share — each having aggressive, measurable goals.

"VISION 2030 puts AtlantiCare in the driver's seat of a new journey that upends the current paradigms prevalent in healthcare by investing in new technologies, accelerating transformation and ending disparities in care," said Charlton. "All of this requires AtlantiCare to reimagine our business, make bold decisions and deliver care to our community in a way that is easy, frictionless and, above all else, steeped in humanity. Yes, our goals are ambitious. But they are achievable because our team members are fully invested in the mission and the communities we serve."

Measurable Goals
The following goals have been set forth for each of the VISION 2030 pillars:

Serving Community

Reduce food insecurity for patients by 6%
Reduce unsheltered homelessness by 20%
Expand life expectancy by 5 years
Increase annual fundraising for the AtlantiCare Foundation by 20% year over year

Workforce Excellence

Establish a medical school in New Jersey to diversify and strengthen talent pipeline
Establish AtlantiCare YOUniversity — a clinical career program launched earlier this year to grow talent locally
Equip team members with best-in-class learning and development

Accelerating Transformation — AtlantiCare powered by Oracle Health

Leverage real-time data to increase efficiency and improve care delivery
Implement technology that transforms care and delivers frictionless experiences
Utilize genomics and AI to drive personalized medicine
Enable safe and seamless movement of information across an interconnected ecosystem

Growing Market Share — Reinvesting in Programs, Services and People

Enhancing services and increasing access and excellence in key service line priorities including behavioral health, cardiology, neurosciences, oncology and orthopedics as well as an expanded emergency department
Grow market share in the region by 5%
Expand to a $2 billion organization

Major New Partnerships
To advance VISION 2030 goals and ensure their achievement and longevity, AtlantiCare has partnered with some of the most prestigious organizations in the healthcare space:

Cleveland Clinic Cancer Institute — AtlantiCare has entered into an affiliation with Cleveland Clinic Cancer Institute to give patients access to their advanced research, clinical trials, and nationally recognized expertise in cancer treatment and therapies. As one of the top-ranked hospitals in the nation, Cleveland Clinic attracts patients from around the world seeking advanced treatments and expert knowledge. Cleveland Clinic Cancer Institute is collaborating with AtlantiCare to deliver high-quality care to patients through an affiliation designed to enhance and improve clinical quality, service delivery, cost management and patient experience. Through this affiliation, South Jersey residents will have streamlined access to national experts, ensuring them of a care plan that includes the latest advances in cancer treatment.

"We look forward to working with AtlantiCare because of our shared values and commitment to delivering clinical excellence," said Hetty Carraway, MD, Vice Chair for Strategy and Enterprise Development and Director of the Leukemia Program, Cleveland Clinic Cancer Institute. "We are eager to share best practices to improve outcomes and safety and provide high-quality care for patients in South Jersey."

Oracle Health — "AtlantiCare Powered by Oracle Health" positions AtlantiCare to best serve its communities, patients and workforce, and represents a significant move forward in AtlantiCare's digital transformation. Through the partnership, Oracle Health is providing the clinical and operational applications and secure, high-performance infrastructure AtlantiCare needs to remain at the forefront of the changing healthcare landscape. AtlantiCare is also one of the first-named Innovation Partners for Oracle's new generative AI-based Oracle Clinical Digital Assistant (CDA). The technology enables clinicians to use voice commands to reduce time "on the computer" and focus more on patient interactions. AtlantiCare is providing essential feedback to help shape the solution. In addition, AtlantiCare Powered by Oracle Health includes the Comprehensive Command Center, which provides near-real-time enterprise transparency that will help the network perform at peak efficiency, streamline operations and improve care delivery.

"Oracle and AtlantiCare have a shared mission to improve healthcare both for providers and the patients they serve," said Mike Sicilia, Executive Vice President, Oracle Global Industries. "Together, we are reimagining every aspect of a healthcare operation, from staffing and supply chain efficiency to using generative AI to help reduce burnout. Our goal is to help make AtlantiCare the model for more connected and effective care."

Drexel University College of Medicine — AtlantiCare aims to increase the number of graduate medical students it already trains annually as part of the current AtlantiCare medical and residency programs. AtlantiCare has entered a Clinical Training Affiliation with Drexel University College of Medicine to provide clinical training to year 3 and year 4 medical students at its state-of-the-art facilities.

"Drexel University College of Medicine is excited about our collaboration with AtlantiCare," said Charles B. Cairns, MD, Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg Dean of the College of Medicine and Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs at Drexel University. "The region has a wonderful pool of compassionate people driven to care for their community and make their mark in healthcare. This affiliation will support excellent clinical training, inspire young minds, nurture top-notch medical professionals, enhance health innovation, and ensure the pipeline of talent is equipped to meet the ever-growing and evolving needs of the region and beyond — from primary care to highly specialized medicine."

Global Neurosciences Institute — AtlantiCare has entered a clinical partnership with Global Neurosciences Institute (GNI) to take its nationally recognized, comprehensive neurosciences services to the next level of care. GNI brings to the partnership experts who will enhance AtlantiCare's already robust services. This will include providing a comprehensive array of treatments and therapies, from a complete range of neurosurgical services supporting AtlantiCare's Joint Commission Comprehensive Stroke Center designation combined with innovative functional neurosurgical procedures to neurology services treating diseases including Alzheimer's Disease/Cognitive Disorders, Parkinson's Disease/Movement Disorders, Epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis and more.

"Our goal has always been to ensure that all patients have access to the best, most innovative care and treatment available," said Erol Veznedaroglu, MD, the Founder and President/CEO of GNI. "We are committed to eliminating barriers between narrowly focused medical specialties to enable holistic, collaborative, patient-centered care and are excited to work with AtlantiCare to make that vision a reality."

More About Michael J. Charlton
Michael J. Charlton, MHL, is the president and CEO of AtlantiCare Health System. He leads a team of more than 6,500 caregivers in serving a population of over 1,000,000 across southeastern New Jersey. A purpose-driven, visionary leader with a background as a successful entrepreneur in the hospitality industry, Charlton excels in fostering collaboration and innovation. As leader of the anchor institute in the region, he is committed to driving transformative change in how healthcare is delivered.

About AtlantiCare
AtlantiCare is an award-winning integrated healthcare system based in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, whose team of more than 6,500 serves the community in over 100 locations in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May and Ocean counties of southern New Jersey. Committed to an innovative approach to providing best-in-the-industry care, AtlantiCare nurtures a vision of building healthy communities drives its mission of making a difference in health and healing, one person at a time. Learn more at atlanticare.org or 1-888-569-1000.