Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Driving Growth and Excellence at St. Joseph's Health with Dr. Dustin Riccio
Mar 10, 2026
Dr. Dustin M. Riccio, President and CEO of St. Joseph's Health System, is a Jersey-born physician-executive driving strategic growth and cultural renewal. He discusses a year of listening that shaped a plan focused on primary care and ambulatory expansion. He also covers quality wins, amplifying the system’s voice to communities and payers, and the challenge of sustaining momentum amid rapid industry change.
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From Rochester To Patterson Driven By Culture
- Dustin Riccio moved from 20 years in upstate New York administration to become CEO at St. Joseph's in January 2024 after being drawn by the culture and mission.
- He emphasizes the team's warm welcome, the Sisters of Charity legacy, and feeling at home returning to New Jersey.
Build Strategy By Listening Then Launching
- Launch a strategic plan built from listening sessions to secure board, community, and frontline buy-in before executing.
- Riccio spent a year listening, then ran a nine-month strategy effort and launched pillars of growth, excellence, culture, and amplifying voice in Jan 2025.
Growth Must Match Community Needs And Be Heard
- Growth must align to community needs, so St. Joseph's prioritized nine strategic growth areas led by primary care and ambulatory expansion.
- They also paired clinical excellence and culture investments with a new push to 'amplify our voice' to change perception statewide.