Leading Healthcare Advisory Firm, rule of three®, Welcomes Two Top Executives to the Team

Bracey Halbrook from Ardent Health Partners, Inc., and Ryan Schmid from Vera Whole Health

ATLANTA, April 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- rule of three® (ro3), a boutique healthcare advisory firm, is proud to announce the addition of two new seasoned executives to its growing leadership team. The firm welcomes Bracey Halbrook as Chief Financial & Operating Officer and Ryan Schmid as Senior Advisor.

Bracey joins the organization bringing nearly 25 years of healthcare leadership and incredible depth in strategic finance and analysis. Most recently, Bracey served as Senior Vice President at Ardent Health Partners, Inc., where he has provided executive oversight across Ardent's multi-state footprint, leading budgeting, forecasting, capital planning, business intelligence, and operational performance/benchmarking. Previous to that, he culminated his 20 years of service to HCA Healthcare, Inc. as their Vice President of Financial Analytics.

"Joining ro3 feels like a natural evolution for me professionally and personally," said Halbrook. "I'm elated to become an integral part of a team driving distinctive change across the entire healthcare landscape. ro3 has built a strong, diverse client base over the years, and I look forward to helping the organizations ro3 serves navigate the most dynamic time our industry has ever seen."

In addition to Halbrook, ro3 welcomes Ryan Schmid, a visionary healthcare innovator and co-founder of Vera Whole Health. Ryan brings a unique blend of entrepreneurial thinking, operational expertise, and a robust understanding of patient-centered care. At Vera, he helped scale the company from a startup into a trusted platform focused on delivering high-quality, value-based primary care across diverse populations and communities, where it now functions as a part of the broader Mosaic Health platform.

"Healthcare needs bold thinking and proven execution—and ro3 is delivering both," said Schmid. "I'm energized to join a team that shares my belief in people-first innovation and that's not afraid to rethink what excellence means. Together, we'll help organizations lead with intention, strategy, and impact."

"Bracey and Ryan embody the essence of our leadership and team profile, advancing ro3 as we scale to meet the growing demand of opportunities across our industry," said Josh Berlin, CEO of ro3. "Each brings a singular perspective and forward-thinking mindset, along with established results driving organizational change and the execution rigor required of it. At ro3, we take pride in forming intimate, sustained relationships with the clients we serve, and I am confident these two noted experts will help us further that service."

The addition of Bracey and Ryan emphasizes ro3's continued investment in top-tier talent and marks a pivotal moment in the firm's growth. As ro3 expands its reach, the firm remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting the journey of a distinguished and growing roster of clients, across provider, plan, employer, advocacy, and disruptive organizations.

This commitment was well-showcased earlier this year, as ro3 hosted its annual "March Healthcare Classic," a bracket-style event that compares and contrasts the most impactful healthcare trends for the upcoming year. The event has become a hallmark of ro3's distinctive industry perspective, reflecting both its depth of insight and expansive national footprint. With the additional leadership of Bracey and Ryan, the firm looks forward to building on the momentum of its first five (5) years, generating constructive dialogue and applying expert thinking across the industry for years to come.

About rule of three^®: Founded in 2020, rule of three^®, LLC (ro3) is an Atlanta-based boutique healthcare advisory firm that integrates deeply within clients' internal teams to provide highly specialized strategic direction and execution support to a diverse array of organizations—including providers, Accountable Care Organizations, employers, health plans, advocacy groups, associations, Fortune 500 companies, and innovative startups. With established expertise in healthcare strategy, value-based care, and operational excellence, amongst others, ro3 delivers sustainable, performance-driven thinking that are effective in nuanced, real-world environments. Its name reflects its core philosophy, inspired by the literary principle of distilling complex concepts into their most salient form. Through an intimate understanding of each client's distinct attributes and surrounding market dynamics, ro3 has built a track record of success, continually earning industry accolades and multi-year relationships that reflect its ability to create meaningful impact and lasting value. For more information, visit https://ro3.com.

SOURCE rule of three