In 2022, Joseph G. Cacchione, MD, was appointed CEO of Jefferson, an expansive enterprise encompassing Jefferson Health, Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health Plans which annually serves millions of patients, 8,300 students and more than 350,000 insurance members across Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Since his arrival, Dr. Cacchione shepherded Jefferson through a period of remarkable growth and post-pandemic financial recovery. In 2024, he spearheaded a landmark merger with the Allentown, Pa.-based Lehigh Valley Health Network which transformed Jefferson into a $14 billion health system with 65,000 employees, positioning it among the top 15 non-profit health systems in the nation.

Before his tenure at Jefferson, Dr. Cacchione was the Executive Vice President of Clinical and Network Services at Ascension, one of the largest private healthcare systems in the U.S. There, he helped steer a $28 billion organization with 165,000 employees spanning 145 hospitals and over 2,600 care sites across 19 states and the District of Columbia. Prior to this role, he served as the CEO of Ascension Michigan, overseeing 15 hospitals and 22,000 employees.

Dr. Cacchione's journey before Ascension was marked by his eight-year tenure at the Cleveland Clinic, a preeminent academic medical center. At the Clinic, he was pivotal in business development and served as Chairman of Operations and Strategy for its Heart and Vascular Institute. Earlier, he was the Executive Vice President and Chief of Quality & Operations at Saint Vincent’s Health System in Erie, PA, where he led service lines in orthopedics, oncology, neuroscience, and cardiovascular care. His career commenced with two decades in private practice as an interventional cardiologist and a large physician practice executive.

A graduate of Hahnemann University (now Drexel University’s medical college) where he earned his medical degree, Dr. Cacchione also holds a BS from Gannon University. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Case Western Reserve University, followed by a cardiology residency at the University of Rochester, and a Cardiac Research and Interventional Fellowship at Case Western Reserve University. He is Board Certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, and interventional cardiology, and has earned numerous accolades for his contributions to the medical field and the esteemed institutions he has served.

Throughout his illustrious 30+ year career, Dr. Cacchione has held numerous leadership roles on a national level and in Pennsylvania with the American College of Cardiology. He has been an active participant in national and community-based administrative health committees, authoring and co-authoring scholarly papers, and presenting at national conferences on healthcare systems, innovative paradigms in healthcare, cardiology, and healthcare administration. His transformative leadership as a CEO and physician has been recognized by organizations such as Modern Healthcare, Becker’s Hospital Review, the Philadelphia Business Journal and Philadelphia Magazine to name a few. Dr. Cacchione holds active medical licenses in Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania.