Michael Wagner, MD, FACP, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Care New England Health System, Rhode Island’s second-largest healthcare system, which employs approximately 8,000 employees across several hospitals and operating units, including Butler, Kent and Women & Infants Hospitals, as well as the VNA of Care New England and The Providence Center.
Dr. Wagner is a physician leader who combines his unique experience as a primary care physician, hospitalist, entrepreneur, and CEO to transform health care. Throughout his career, he has worked with caregivers in academic and community health care settings across the country.
Before joining Care New England, Dr. Wagner served as the Chief Physician Executive for Tufts Medicine, a leading integrated health system that brings together the best of academic and community healthcare to deliver exceptional, connected and accessible care experiences to Massachusetts consumers. As CPE, he led the company’s physician enterprise, which included the Tufts Medicine Integrated Network, Tufts Medicine Professional Group, and Quality and Patient Safety and Service Line Integration programs. He was also President and CEO of the Tufts Medicine Professional Group and Tufts Medicine Physicians Organization.
During 2019, Dr. Wagner was Interim CEO for Wellforce (now Tufts Medicine), a system recognized for its high quality, lower cost value position and its commitment to keeping care in the community. As Interim CEO, he led the formation of a single obligated group, the selection of a singular EMR platform, and drove strategic growth initiatives.
Before that, Dr. Wagner served as President and CEO of Tufts Medical Center, the academic medical center of Tufts Medicine and the principal teaching hospital for Tufts University School of Medicine. During his tenure, Tufts MC grew top line revenue by 27% and was twice recognized with a Five Star rating on the Vizient (University Health System Consortium) annual quality and effectiveness evaluation – the only AMC in New England to achieve this recognition.
In addition to his experience leading a complex health system, Dr. Wagner’s deep and varied experiences include managing a national physician practice management company, leading an academic division of general medicine and graduate medical education, and holding various roles in insurance companies and non-profit and for-profit boards.
A magna cum laude graduate of Connecticut College and a graduate of Georgetown University School of Medicine, Dr. Wagner completed his residency and chief residency in Internal Medicine at Dartmouth in Hanover, New Hampshire.