Rafael Cartagena on the Cornerstone of Care

Hispanic Executive, November 29, 2021

By: Zach Baliva

Think of the most complex and stressful moments in a hospital or emergency room—procedures such as an organ transplant, coronary artery bypass surgery, emergency C-section, or mechanical thrombectomy. Anesthesiologists play a critical role in all these events, administering powerful drugs in high-pressure situations. The patient’s life is often quite literally in their hands.

Hospitals, surgical centers, and other medical facilities simply must have high-quality anesthesiologists—specialists who they can turn to for safe, effective, and consistent care. North American Partners in Anesthesia (NAPA) provides those highly skilled medical professionals to more than five hundred healthcare facilities around the country.

Rafael Cartagena is NAPA’s chief operating officer. He coordinates clinical operations and works to ensure that all of NAPA’s partners have the tools and resources they need to be safe and successful. “We want to attract, develop, and promote the very best people so we can continue to deliver unmatched service to the millions of patients our partners serve every day,” he explains.

A tragic event at an early age led to Cartagena’s lifelong commitment to medicine. He was playing a pickup game of football when a friend suffered an asthma attack. Although Cartagena and his friends called 911 and attempted to render aid, they lacked adequate knowledge and couldn’t find anyone nearby to assist. His friend passed away before the ambulance arrived. Cartagena made a promise to himself—he would pursue medicine and positively impact the health and well-being of others.

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