CEO Joseph A. Quagliata Named to Prestigious List of US Healthcare Leaders

Sept. 19, 2011 - PRLog -- South Nassau Communities Hospital President and CEO Joseph A. Quagliata has been named to the Becker’s Hospital Review 2011 “List of 256 Hospital and Healthcare Industry Leaders to Know” in the U.S.  This is the second consecutive year that Mr. Quagliata has been named to the prestigious list.

Published by ASC Communications, Becker's Hospital Review is a leading source of hospital and healthcare industry news for approximately 15,000 acute-care hospital CEOs and CFOs.

“This honor is directly attributable to South Nassau’s team of board members, doctors, nurses, staff members, and administrators,” said Mr. Quagliata.  “Their steadfast commitment to service excellence, teamwork and mission is essential to my success and the hospital’s success.”

Named president and CEO of South Nassau Communities Hospital in October of 1998, Mr. Quagliata has been a guiding force behind South Nassau’s robust growth and expansion despite long-term tenuous economic conditions confronted by healthcare providers in the state of New York.

Within three years after Mr. Quagliata’s appointment, South Nassau was in aggressive pursuit of its expansion and transformation from a “dependable” 435-bed hospital to a standard-setting, medically advanced hospital with a network of 14 community-based satellite specialty healthcare centers.  

In 2001, the hospital opened its Center for Bariatric Surgery, later becoming the Center for Weight and Life Management, specializing in laparoscopic weight loss surgery. It was one of the first hospitals in the area to offer the service. Also in 2001, the hospital began the expansion of its cancer program, and in 2002, opened a new Cancer Center in Valley Stream. Also in 2002, the Cancer Center opened Long Island’s first Gamma Knife® for the treatment of brain metastases and other benign brain conditions. In 2001, the hospital was the first in the state of New York without an open-heart surgical program to perform emergency angioplasty, and soon after in 2007 became one of only seven hospitals in the state without an open-heart surgical program to also perform elective angioplasty.  That same year the hospital opened the Center for Advanced Orthopedics, specializing in minimally invasive and arthroscopic surgery for knees, hips, shoulders and spine.

In 2006, the hospital opened its new four-story D Wing, featuring a 26-bed all-private accommodations Maternity Suite and a Level II neonatal intensive care unit, as well as a 36-bed inpatient behavioral health unit.  In 2008, the hospital expanded its cardiac catheterization, electrophysiology and non-invasive cardiology programs when it opened its Center for Cardiovascular Health, giving it the area’s latest equipment for coronary and peripheral arterial angioplasty.

In 2009, an interventional radiology center was launched, and the hospital also opened a new 6,000 sq. ft. Center for Ambulatory Surgery.  In 2010, its radiation oncology department installed Long Island’s first and only Novalis Tx™ radiosurgery device for treatment of many types of cancer, including prostate, liver, spine and lung. Also in 2010, the hospital’s operating room added the da Vinci® Surgical System to expand its minimally invasive surgery capabilities.

While leading the way at South Nassau, Mr. Quagliata has been an advocate for hospitals on Long Island for more than 30 years and is recognized for his leadership in shaping the future of healthcare in the region.  He is Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS).  HANYS is the only statewide advocate for more than 550 non-profit and public hospitals, nursing homes, home care agencies, and other health care organizations throughout New York State.

He is also a Past Chair of the Board of Directors of the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council, a body that comprises the chief executives of the 23 not-for-profit and public hospitals on Long Island.  He also served on the Long Island Regional Advisory Committee of the New York State Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century (also known as the Berger Commission).  Additional industry roles include past President and Advanced Member of the Metropolitan New York Chapter of the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

Numerous organizations have honored Mr. Quagliata for his efforts to ensure the quality and vitality of healthcare services on Long Island and in New York.  Most recently he was named a recipient of the prestigious Reverend Monsignor Thomas J. Hartman Award, which is given annually by the Advancement for Commerce, Industry & Technology (ACIT).  Mr. Quagliata was presented the award in recognition of his long-term dedication and commitment to ensuring that South Nassau provides the highest quality of health care services in an ethical, responsible, and caring manner to a diverse community.

Other honors include Honoree of the Queens-Long Island Chapter of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPIQLI); School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) Sixty-Over-Sixty Award; and Hispanic Brotherhood of Rockville Centre (HBRC) Annual Scholarship Dinner Honoree.

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South Nassau Communities Hospital is one of the region’s largest hospitals, with 435 beds, more than 900 physicians and 2,900 employees. Located in Oceanside, NY, the hospital is an acute-care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health and emergency services. In addition to its extensive outpatient specialty centers, South Nassau provides emergency and elective angioplasty and is the only hospital on Long Island with the Novalis Tx™ and Gamma Knife® radiosurgery technologies. South Nassau is a designated Stroke Center by the New York State Department of Health and Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons and is recognized as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. For more information, visit www.southnassau.org.