Carol Vargas

Carol Vargas is the Vice President of Integrated Care at Atlantic Health System, where she is focused on connecting clinical, behavioral, and social care across the continuum to produce great health outcomes, improve the patient experience, and lower the total cost of care. Carol joined Atlantic Health System in 2017, and in this time has built out strategies and programs in the areas of care coordination, post-acute care, community health, behavioral health, and telemedicine. Together, these initiatives support the system’s transition to value-based care and population health.

With a sharp focus on improving outcomes and making care more affordable, Carol and her teams are transforming how care is delivered. After establishing a system-wide care coordination department of nurses to manage safe transitions of care and support people with complex chronic conditions, Carol expanded the team to include behavioral health clinicians, social workers, and community health workers to ensure that each patient’s clinical, behavioral and social needs are met. To further drive high quality, affordable care, Carol and her colleagues created a post-acute integrated care network of facilities and providers that have aligned visions and commitment to value-based care. Atlantic Health System care teams, including physicians, nurses, and social workers, follow patients into the post-acute setting to ensure patients successfully continue in their health journey.

Carol attended the University of Rochester where she pursued her dual passions of health and business, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in Health, Behavior and Society. After years of corporate consulting, she moved to the not-for-profit sector to follow her passion of improving care and quality of life for older adults. Carol obtained her Master of Public Administration from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service, where she was the Leslie Jane Rosen Scholar recipient. After working in hospital administration for 15 years, she transitioned to the Integrated Care role, which is her dream job.