Grace Garces Granato, MSN, RN, is an accomplished nursing and clinical informatics leader with more than three decades of progressive experience spanning bedside care, clinical education, health information technology, peer review, and clinical quality management. Grace currently serves as a Facility Clinical Informatics Analyst with Novant Health’s Coastal Region Epic Provider Support team, where she identifies workflow and process challenges, translates clinical needs into system requirements, and leads optimization efforts that enhance EHR performance and clinician engagement. She collaborates closely with physicians, nurses, and interdisciplinary teams to recommend innovations, guide system enhancements, and support new technology implementation and adoption.
Prior to this role, Grace worked as a Clinical Quality RN with TriWest Healthcare Alliance, supporting Veteran care quality by reviewing clinical documentation, identifying potential quality issues, and preparing case analyses for peer review and oversight committees. She contributed to contract compliance, collaborated with VA partners on data reporting, and supported quality and safety committee functions, including physician practice pattern analyses and peer review activities.
Grace spent a decade as a Clinical Outcomes Manager and Clinical Peer Review Analyst at Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center. In this capacity, she facilitated outcome-driven initiatives, collaborated with medical staff leadership to achieve strategic goals, and applied evidence-based practice and Lean methodology to improve care delivery and resource utilization. She led comprehensive peer review program operations, ensured data integrity for performance monitoring, coordinated case review processes, and maintained deep knowledge of Joint Commission and regulatory standards.
Earlier in her career, Grace held multiple clinical informatics and training roles, including Health Information Coordinator, Electronic Data Capture (EDC) Trainer, and Clinical Applications Analyst and Training Specialist. Across these positions, she led EMR implementations, trained global research and clinical teams, collaborated with IT and clinical departments, and contributed to system design, testing, maintenance, and optimization for numerous clinical applications and documentation platforms.
Grace began her professional journey as a Nursing Educator and critical care/emergency department nurse, providing high-acuity patient care and developing competency-based nursing education programs. Her early nursing experience strengthened her clinical judgment, communication skills, and commitment to patient-centered care.
She holds a Master of Science in Nursing with a Specialization in Nursing Informatics from Capella University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Bloomfield College. In addition, Grace has completed extensive professional development in clinical documentation systems, project management, EDC technologies, and clinical informatics platforms through organizations including McKesson, PPD, Medidata, and New Hanover Regional Medical Center.
Known for her strong interpersonal skills, creativity, and collaborative leadership style, Grace excels at bridging the gap between clinical practice and technology. She is highly regarded for her ability to communicate effectively across disciplines, support organizational change, and promote a culture of quality, safety, and innovation in every environment she serves.