AtlantiCare President and CEO Michael Charlton Hosts Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz for One of His First Integrated Health System Visits in the Nation
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, N.J., July 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), visited AtlantiCare this week for one of his first integrated health system visits since assuming the role. The visit brought national focus to southeastern New Jersey through critical conversations, elevating the role of health systems in advancing care and evaluating policy efficacy on the ground.
Hosted by AtlantiCare President and CEO Michael Charlton, Dr. Oz's visit included a tour of Atlantic City, with stops at AtlantiCare's medical facilities, regional educational institutions, and community outreach sites. The tour showcased ongoing efforts to position Atlantic City as a destination for healthcare, education, and innovation—sectors that are proven drivers of economic revitalization and long-term regional growth.
Following the tour, Dr. Oz joined a private roundtable with leaders from healthcare, government, education, and technology to discuss how national programs like Medicare and Medicaid remain vital to the communities served by regional health systems. The conversation centered on how evolving federal policy intersects with the day-to-day delivery of care—and the need for reforms that improve access, reduce complexity, and strengthen equity.
Leaders shared insights on the administrative and clinical impacts of prior authorization, raising concerns about care delays and provider burden. They also discussed technology opportunities and regulatory relief, referencing recommendations from the American Hospital Association to streamline operations and ease administrative strain. Their input helped advance constructive dialogue about aligning federal policy with the practical realities facing health systems nationwide.
'We were honored to welcome Dr. Oz to AtlantiCare today. As a health system serving southern New Jersey — including Atlantic City, a community marked by both extraordinary need and untapped potential — we were proud to host this important conversation,' said Michael Charlton, president and CEO of AtlantiCare. 'AtlantiCare is small enough to be nimble in our transformation efforts, yet big enough to matter and make a real difference. That's what allows us to move fast, build partnerships that matter, and create real outcomes. Today's discussion made clear how important it is for national policy to stay grounded in what's actually happening on the front lines.'
Dr. Oz noted the value of hearing directly from leaders about their concerns, 'I was pleased to join leaders from healthcare, education, government, and technology at AtlantiCare for a thoughtful and solutions-driven conversation,' said Oz. 'AtlantiCare's vision is transformative for the city of Atlantic City and an approach that other health systems could model.'
AtlantiCare is the largest non-casino employer in southeastern New Jersey, serving more than one million residents across five counties. Based in Atlantic County, the organization anchors a region where access to care, workforce shortages, and economic instability remain ongoing challenges.
Vision 2030, AtlantiCare's six-year strategic plan to redefine how healthcare is delivered and experienced, is driving transformation through community investment, workforce development, clinical innovation, and operational growth. The strategy is increasingly informing national dialogue on how regional health systems can lead meaningful, scalable change.
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 110 locations in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, and Ocean counties of southern New Jersey. Committed to an innovative approach to providing the best care in the industry, AtlantiCare has a vision of building healthy communities that drives its mission of making a difference in health and healing, one person at a time. Learn more at atlanticare.org or call 1-888-569-1000.
*B-roll footage and high-resolution images from the visit are available. Interviews with AtlantiCare leadership can be arranged upon request. To access assets or coordinate interviews, please contact: [email protected]
View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/atlanticare-president-and-ceo-michael-charlton-hosts-centers-for-medicare-and-medicaid-services-administrator-dr-mehmet-oz-for-one-of-his-first-integrated-health-system-visits-in-the-nation-302508998.html
SOURCE AtlantiCare Health Network
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Premier Anesthesia Partners with Salina Regional Health Center to Power Next Phase of Surgical Excellence
Collaboration to Optimize Anesthesia Services Through Tailored Solutions ALPHARETTA, Ga., July 21, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Premier Anesthesia, a leading privately held single-specialty anesthesia practice management firm, today announced a strategic partnership with Salina Regional Health Center (SRHC), the principal hospital of a highly regarded health system and a designated Level III Trauma Center serving north-central Kansas. Through this collaboration, Premier Anesthesia will provide tailored anesthesia consulting and practice management services to support SRHC's transition to a hospital-employed anesthesia model. In this capacity, it will oversee daily operations of the hospital-based anesthesia team committed to maintaining clinical excellence, fostering workforce stability and helping ensure seamless continuity throughout the transition. Premier Anesthesia also will provide strategic guidance on surgical operations to help optimize operating room utilization and overall efficiency. "We are privileged to partner with Salina Regional Health Center at this pivotal moment," said Preston Smith, president, Premier Anesthesia. "This collaboration goes beyond operational change by establishing a resilient framework for sustained excellence in anesthesia services. In line with Salina Regional's goals, we are helping build a scalable, high-performing infrastructure that benefits existing patients and positions the health system for future advancement." Salina Regional Health Center is widely recognized for its compassionate patient care and use of advanced technology, while remaining dedicated to delivering superior care that promotes rapid recovery and long-term well-being. This partnership is timely as the health system aims to expand and enhance its surgical service lines while preserving high standards in anesthesia. "Our alliance with Premier Anesthesia will increase access and strengthen our ability to serve patients," added Dr. Rob Freelove, chief medical officer, Salina Regional Health Center. "With comprehensive oversight of scheduling and care delivery, we expect increased efficiency and a seamless patient experience, further supporting our commitment to timely, integrated care across all service lines." This partnership demonstrates a shared commitment to excellence in clinical quality, operations and patient outcomes. It also reflects an evolving model in which anesthesia practice management organizations partner with hospitals to facilitate provider employment transitions and ensure robust program administration. ABOUT SALINA REGIONAL HEALTH CENTER Salina Regional Health Center is a full-service acute care hospital dedicated to delivering outstanding health care quality and patient outcomes across north central Kansas and beyond. Affiliated with three Critical Access Hospitals located in Abilene, Concordia, and Lindsborg, Salina Regional forms the cornerstone of an integrated health system that includes more than 20 primary care and specialty clinics that provide outreach services in communities across the area. With a team of more than 2,550 skilled professionals – equipped with the latest medical technology – the system stands at the forefront of health care in the region providing a continuum of medical care and advanced, lifesaving services. For more information, please visit ABOUT PREMIER ANESTHESIA Premier Anesthesia is one of the nation's largest privately held anesthesia management companies. Solely focused on building and managing the best anesthesia teams in the industry, its leadership brings extensive experience and expertise in hospital-based physician staffing, recruiting and management, helping hospital and healthcare facilities across the country achieve superior clinical, business and patient outcomes. Premier Anesthesia is part of the Jackson Healthcare® family of companies. Learn more at View source version on Contacts For More Information, Contact: media@ Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Dogs are helping people regulate stress even more than expected, research shows
In a 2022 survey of 3,000 U.S. adults, more than one-third of respondents reported that on most days, they feel 'completely overwhelmed' by stress. At the same time, a growing body of research is documenting the negative health consequences of higher stress levels, which include increased rates of cancer, heart disease, autoimmune conditions and even dementia. Assuming people's daily lives are unlikely to get less stressful anytime soon, simple and effective ways to mitigate these effects are needed. This is where dogs can help. As researchers at the University of Denver's Institute for Human-Animal Connection, we study the effects animal companions have on their humans. Dozens of studies over the last 40 years have confirmed that pet dogs help humans feel more relaxed. This would explain the growing phenomenon of people relying on emotional support dogs to assist them in navigating everyday life. Dog owners have also been shown to have a 24% lower risk of death and a four times greater chance of surviving for at least a year after a heart attack. Now, a new study that we conducted with a team of colleagues suggests that dogs might have a deeper and more biologically complex effect on humans than scientists previously believed. And this complexity may have profound implications for human health. How stress works The human response to stress is a finely tuned and coordinated set of various physiological pathways. Previous studies of the effects of dogs on human stress focused on just one pathway at a time. For our study, we zoomed out a bit and measured multiple biological indicators of the body's state, or biomarkers, from both of the body's major stress pathways. This allowed us to get a more complete picture of how a dog's presence affects stress in the human body. The stress pathways we measured are the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal, or HPA, axis and the sympathoadrenal medullary, or SAM, axis. When a person experiences a stressful event, the SAM axis acts quickly, triggering a 'fight or flight' response that includes a surge of adrenaline, leading to a burst of energy that helps us meet threats. This response can be measured through an enzyme called alpha-amylase. At the same time, but a little more slowly, the HPA axis activates the adrenal glands to produce the hormone cortisol. This can help a person meet threats that might last for hours or even days. If everything goes well, when the danger ends, both axes settle down, and the body goes back to its calm state. While stress can be an uncomfortable feeling, it has been important to human survival. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors had to respond effectively to acute stress events like an animal attack. In such instances, over-responding could be as ineffective as under-responding. Staying in an optimal stress response zone maximized humans' chances of survival. More to the story After cortisol is released by the adrenal glands, it eventually makes its way into your saliva, making it an easily accessible biomarker to track responses. Because of this, most research on dogs and stress has focused on salivary cortisol alone. For example, several studies have found that people exposed to a stressful situation have a lower cortisol response if they're with a dog than if they're alone – even lower than if they're with a friend. While these studies have shown that having a dog nearby can lower cortisol levels during a stressful event, suggesting the person is calmer, we suspected that was just part of the story. What our study measured For our study, we recruited about 40 dog owners to participate in a 15-minute gold standard laboratory stress test. This involves public speaking and oral math in front of a panel of expressionless people posing as behavioral specialists. The participants were randomly assigned to bring their dogs to the lab with them or to leave their dogs at home. We measured cortisol in blood samples taken before, immediately after and about 45 minutes following the test as a biomarker of HPA axis activity. And unlike previous studies, we also measured the enzyme alpha-amylase in the same blood samples as a biomarker of the SAM axis. As expected based on previous studies, the people who had their dog with them showed lower cortisol spikes. But we also found that people with their dog experienced a clear spike of alpha-amylase, while those without their dog showed almost no response. No response may sound like a good thing, but in fact, a flat alpha-amylase response can be a sign of a dysregulated response to stress, often seen in people experiencing high stress responses, chronic stress or even PTSD. This lack of response is caused by chronic or overwhelming stress that can change how our nervous system responds to stressors. In contrast, the participants with their dogs had a more balanced response: Their cortisol didn't spike too high, but their alpha-amylase still activated. This shows that they were alert and engaged throughout the test, then able to return to normal within 45 minutes. That's the sweet spot for handling stress effectively. Our research suggests that our canine companions keep us in a healthy zone of stress response. Dogs and human health This more nuanced understanding of the biological effects of dogs on the human stress response opens up exciting possibilities. Based on the results of our study, our team has begun a new study using thousands of biomarkers to delve deeper into the biology of how psychiatric service dogs reduce PTSD in military veterans. But one thing is already clear: Dogs aren't just good company. They might just be one of the most accessible and effective tools for staying healthy in a stressful world. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Kevin Morris, University of Denver and Jaci Gandenberger, University of Denver Read more: Service dogs can help veterans with PTSD – growing evidence shows they may reduce anxiety in practical ways Lending a helping paw: Dogs will aid their crying human Therapy dogs help students cope with the stress of college life Kevin Morris receives funding for this research from the Morris Animal Foundation, the Human-Animal Bond Research Institute, and the University of Denver. Jaci Gandenberger receives funding from the University of Denver to support this research. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Bees have some ways to cope with a warming Earth, but researchers fear for their future
WILLIAMSPORT, Ohio (AP) — Sweat covers Isaac Barnes's face under his beekeeper's veil as he hauls boxes of honeycomb from his hives to his truck. It's a workout in what feels like a sauna as the late-morning June temperatures rise. Though Barnes was hot, his bees were even hotter. Their body temperatures can be up to 27 degrees Fahrenheit (about 15 Celsius) higher than the air around them. As global temperatures rise under climate change, scientists are trying to better understand the effects on managed and wild bees as they pollinate crops, gather nectar, make honey and reproduce. They noticed flying bees gathering nectar avoided overheating on the hottest days by using fewer but harder wingbeats to keep their body temperature below dangerous levels, according to a study published last year. Scientists also say that bees — like people — may also cope by retreating to a cooler environment such as the shade or their nest. 'Just like we go into the shade, or we sweat or we might work less hard, bees actually do the exact same thing so they can avoid the heat,' said Jon Harrison, an environmental physiologist at Arizona State University and one of the study's authors. But that means the bees aren't able to do what they normally do, said Kevin McCluney, a biology professor at Bowling Green State University. 'They're not going out and getting more nectar. They're not mating. They're not doing the things that bees would otherwise do,' McCluney said. Heat is just one challenge for critical pollinator Generally, most bees are heat-tolerant, but as the climate warms, some experts think their ability to fend off disease and gather food might become harder. And habitat loss, increased use of pesticides, diseases and lack of forage for both managed and wild bees are all listed as potential contributors to the global decline of bees and other pollinators. 'If you're not well-fed, and your body is intoxicated with pesticides and you have lots of diseases in your body, you're going to be less heat-tolerant than if you were healthy,' said Margarita López-Uribe, a pollinator health expert at Pennsylvania State University. Earlier this year, preliminary results from the annual U.S. Beekeeping Survey found that beekeepers lost almost 56% of their managed colonies, the highest loss since the survey started in 2010. Almost all of the managed honeybee colonies in the U.S. are used to pollinate agricultural crops such as almonds, apples, cherries and blueberries. Fewer pollinators can lead to less pollination and potentially lower yields. 'It's a very fragile system if you think about it,' López-Uribe said. 'Because if something goes wrong, you have these super high-value crops that won't get enough bees for pollination.' Losing hives at Honeyrun Farms Back at Barnes' hives in Ohio, thousands of honeybees fly around as he gathers boxes to take back to his farm for honey production. Nearby, a couple of his bees land on milkweed flowers, a rare bit of plant diversity in an area dominated by corn and soybean fields. For Barnes, who operates Honeyrun Farm with his wife, Jayne, one of the challenges heat can pose to his 500 honeybee hives is fending off parasitic mites that threaten the bees. If temperatures get too hot, he can't apply formic acid, an organic chemical that kills the mites. If it's applied when it's too hot, the bees could die. Last year they lost almost a third of the 400 hives they sent to California to help pollinate commercial almond groves. Barnes thinks those hives may have been in poor health ahead of pollination because they were unable to ward off mites when it was hot months earlier. 'Dead hives aren't pollinating the almonds,' he said. 'It's a real ripple effect that stems back from the heat in the summertime.' Sometimes the heat helps. Here in Ohio, Barnes' hives last summer produced a bumper crop of honey as they feasted on nearby soybean nectar as the plants bloomed in the heat. Still, the lack of diverse plants for bees to forage in an area dominated by corn and soybean fields isn't ideal. And even the native blooms are appearing erratically, Barnes said. In autumn, his bees search for food on goldenrod, but those blooms are appearing later. And even then, he has supplemented his hive with additional food to keep them healthy into the winter. 'Every single plant that blooms is something that the bee can use,' Barnes said. 'And every single plant is affected by climate change.' Research that may aid bees is in peril It's only in the last decade that people have become aware of the magnitude of the pollinator decline globally, said Harrison, of Arizona State University. Data is limited on how much climate change and heat stress is contributing to pollinator decline. 'It's a relatively new focus for biology," he said. 'I think it's super important, but it's not being studied a ton.' The Trump administration's proposed budget would eliminate the research program that funds the USGS Bee Lab, which supports the inventory, monitoring and natural history of the nation's wild bees. Other grants for bee research are also in jeopardy. U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon said America's pollinators are in 'grave danger,' and he'll fight for the federal funding. Pollinators contribute to the health of the planet, the crops we grow and the food we eat, he said. 'Rather than taking bold action to protect them, the Trump administration has proposed a reckless budget that would zero out funding for critical research aimed at saving important pollinators,' he said in a statement to The Associated Press. Harrison said his research on this topic would come to a halt if cuts are made to his federal funding, and it would be more difficult in general for scientists to study the disappearance of bees and other pollinators and improve how they prevent these losses. Not being able to manage these pollinator deaths could cause the price of fruits, vegetables, nuts, coffee and chocolate to jump or become scarce. 'Hopefully, even if such research is defunded in the U.S., such research will continue in Europe and China, preventing these extreme scenarios,' said Harrison. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at Solve the daily Crossword
