The Wealth from Health Playbook: The Dramatic Path Forward in Healthcare Spawned by the Covid-19 Pandemic

Douglas Ratner, MD is the retired Chair of Medicine at Jersey City Medical Center-RWJ Barnabas Health (JCMC), the largest health system in New Jersey. In that role he was instrumental in the sea change that transformed the hospital from an urban trauma hospital dependent on state funding to meet payroll to one with a robust bottom line. He most recently chaired the N.J. Commission on Chronic Disease Management, which created a public document as a roadmap to better health regardless of insurance status. In 1996 he created Wealth from Health, Inc. as a stand-alone patient rewards program and first successfully implemented it at a Pennsylvania corporation. At JCMC, Wealth from Health, Inc. has grown to encompass all aspects of population health initiatives. Dr. Ratner is author of the seminal work, Tomorrow’s Health for Today’s Family. A Groundbreaking Guide to Better Health for You and Your Community in the 21st Century. His Wealth from Health programs have been nationally recognized for innovation by both the American Essential Hospitals Association and the Hearst Foundation.

Susan Walsh, MD, FACP is recently retired from the positions of Vice President of Population Health, ACO Medical Director, and Program Director for the RWJBH-JCMC internal medicine residency. Prior to her position at JCMC, she was Deputy Commissioner of Health for the state of New Jersey and charged with all issues pertaining to public health, including equity and access, epidemiology, the creation of the N.J. medical marijuana program and the state’s laboratory, and statewide response teams. Her skills in forging partnerships led to the formation of the Greater Newark Health Care Coalition and the Trenton Health Plan, which continue to bring CEOs and community advocates together to find solutions for barriers to care. As VP of Clinical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer, she also has an extensive background in managing federally qualified health centers that seek to provide superior care to the critically underserved populations.