Atlantic Health’s journey to Bronze-level recognition from the AMA Joy in Medicine® Health System Recognition Program involved a sweeping cultural shift: a new CEO, new pillars and a renewed top-down commitment to workforce experience as a core priority.
“Initially, we focused on supporting clinicians’ personal growth,” explained Shai Gavi, DO, chief medical officer for Atlantic Medical Group, a division of Atlantic Health. “But over time, we made a deliberate shift to what we could do as a system.”
Atlantic Health, a large nonprofit health care network in New Jersey, is part of the AMA Health System Member Program, which provides enterprise solutions to equip leadership, physicians and care teams with resources to help drive the future of medicine.
Saad Ehtisham, DHA, Atlantic Health’s new president and CEO, put together five strategic pillars for the organization, which has provided “tremendous clarity” on priorities, said Dr. Gavi. One of those pillars—elevating the workforce experience—has become a central focus, alongside succession planning.
What sets 2026 apart from previous years is the “real intentionality” behind these pillars, particularly the emphasis on workplace experience. This is closely tied to retention and open positions, said Dr. Gavi.
A new Engagement and Safety Council also brought together senior executives and HR leadership to address key issues, including employee well-being.
Dr. Gavi joined Judy Washington, MD, a family physician and associate chief medical officer at Atlantic Medical Group, to discuss Atlantic Health’s Joy in Medicine journey and the achievements that led to its Bronze-level status.
Data, IT improvements drive changes
Atlantic Health’s cultural shift began with small, data-driven projects. One early turning point came when leaders examined in-basket data for the first time.
“When we pulled that data, I think everyone was blown away,” said Dr. Washington. This helped spotlight the burden of after-hours work, often referred to as “pajama time.”
From there, the organization built on existing efforts, including its Epic Provider Efficiency Profile program, but with greater intentionality.
“We wanted everyone to do a session, so we offered CME [continuing medical education] as a bit of a carrot,” she said.
Some of the most impactful changes focused on simplifying physicians’ day-to-day work. “We started to look at how do we make their day to day easier?” Dr. Washington continued.
Getting rid of the inefficient transcription system was one such improvement.
“We moved from M*Modal to Dragon and the next thing you know, we’re looking at ambient voice technology with two pilot projects,” she said, adding that this reflects a transition toward addressing operational challenges and building system-level initiatives.
Surveys measure real world impact
Atlantic Health is also taking a multipronged approach to measuring the real-world impact of its efforts, combining established surveys with newer, more targeted tools.
“Each year, we use the Press Ganey clinician engagement survey, which gives us important information around engagement, safety, wellness, alignment, and decompression,” Dr. Gavi said.
More recently, Atlantic Health introduced the AMA Organizational Biopsy® survey to establish a new baseline.
“That’s our first one in several years, and we’re really excited about it,” he noted.
With the Organizational Biopsy completed, Dr. Gavi plans to go through the results with the AMA.
“That will be our kind of baseline,” he said. “We'll do another one at some point to evaluate progress,” which could help move Atlantic Health toward Silver-level recognition from the Joy in Medicine Program.
Together, these survey tools allow leaders to assess how physicians and other health professionals are doing—from engagement to workflow alignment and well-being.
Dr. Gavi said the decision to use the AMA’s Organizational Biopsy was driven by both its rigor and its practical value.
“It has really excellent questions around work satisfaction, workload and documentation,” he said. “It's going to give us a wonderful benchmark to compare ourselves nationally.”
Leadership, governance drives engagement
Physician leadership has been essential to scaling these efforts across Atlantic Health’s complex network. It’s a large health system with more than 3,000 clinicians and other health professionals across eight hospitals and hundreds of practices, Dr. Gavi said.
It will take more than just a few leaders to drive this work. That is why Atlantic Health relies heavily on chief medical officers, department chairs, regional medical directors and other leaders within the organization.
“They’re the ones really out there driving this work on the ground,” he said.
Localized leadership has been especially important in fostering engagement.
“When we talk about how we get really high response rates on engagement surveys, it’s really our medical leadership in the practices and the hospitals driving that culture of feedback,” Dr. Gavi noted.
He also highlighted the role of physician governance. An elected Atlantic Health physician board meets monthly, creating a real culture of doctor-led input. Those structures, he added, help reinforce a broader commitment to inclusion. This is about creating an environment where physicians feel involved and heard.
Looking ahead, Dr. Gavi identified an opportunity for greater integration and strategy: The creation of a role for a dedicated leader whose primary role is focused on well-being.
“We are still working through with potential roles with our HR partners,” he said.
How AMA boosts Atlantic Health
Receiving Bronze-level recognition from the Joy in Medicine Program validates the work already underway at Atlantic Health.
The Joy in Medicine application process offered a structured opportunity to take inventory of initiatives supporting physicians and to reflect on how those efforts are being implemented, said Dr. Gavi.
“Going through that application gave us an opportunity to go through our inventory,” to see what activities were supporting physicians and other health professionals across Atlantic Health, he said.
Beyond validation, Dr. Gavi emphasized the importance of connection. Through the AMA’s programs—including participation in the AMA Insight Network Summit and the AMA Annual Meeting—he and his colleagues were able to engage with peers across the country doing similar work.
“One of the most important things that's really been exciting and transformational is we became part of the AMA community,” he said, adding that it’s provided an opportunity to learn from others and share what Atlantic Health is doing for physician well-being.
Download the 2025 AMA Joy in Medicine magazine (log into your AMA account to view) to see whether your organization is part of the prestigious group of 164 organizations across 40 states and the District of Columbia that are currently recognized for their dedication to physician well-being.
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