NHPCO Welcomes Alex Azar as HHS Secretary

NHPCO congratulates Alex Azar on his Senate confirmation as United States Secretary of Health and Human Services this week.

“The appointment of Alex Azar puts a seasoned leader at the helm of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and NHPCO looks forward to working collaboratively with Secretary Azar and his staff to ensure that all Americans have access to person-centered, family-oriented, interdisciplinary care – something that has been a hallmark of hospice care for four decades,” said Edo Banach, NHPCO president and CEO.

Secretary Azar’s experience with hospice, referenced in his nomination hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Nov. 29 of last year, will prove an invaluable asset as he leads the department whose mission is to enhance and protect the well-being of all Americans. The hospice and palliative care community appreciate his understanding of quality care during this important period and looks forward to working to advance efforts to ensure all people receive the right care at the right time.

“Given the hospice and palliative care community’s collective experience of providing interdisciplinary, person-centered care, we firmly believe that we can work with HHS to help address issues facing health care delivery and point to solutions from our experience,” said Banach.

Secretary Alex Azar

NHPCO and NAHC Collaborate

NHPCO and the National Association for Home Care & Hospice are joining forces to bring the provider community an important new Webinar. 

Fraud and Abuse in Home Care and Hospice

February 21, 2018; 2:00 - 3:30 pm ET

Online registration is now open.

Do you understand your risk areas? Are you prepared for review?

Don't find your organization in the headlines. Hear from top legal experts in this Webinar collaboration between the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and the National Association for Home Care & Hospice. Understand fraud and abuse, the audit process, steps to prevent allegations of fraud and abuse and response to audits if they occur. Lessons learned from providers that have experienced audits will be shared. 

Most importantly, guidance on how to prepare for additional scrutiny and audits and what actions responsible leaders should take will be discussed in detail.

Facilitated by: 

•    Edo Banach, President and CEO, NHPCO
•    Jason Bring, Partner, Arnall Golden Gregory, LLC
•    Bill Dombi, President, NAHC
•    Howard Young, Partner, Morgan Lewis & Bockius

CE/CME credit available at no charge for Compliance Officers, Nurses and Physicians.

*This Webinar is not part of NHPCO's Webinar Packages. 

Welcoming New Board Members in 2018

NHPCO is proud to welcome four new individuals to the organization’s Board of Directors. Joining the NHPCO board for three year terms are:

• Samira Beckwith, ACSW, LCSW, FACHE, President and CEO, Hope Hospice and Community Services, Fort Myers, Florida 
• Sandy Kuhlman, BSN, Executive Director, Hospice Services, Inc., Phillipsburg, Kansas
• Balu Natarajan, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care, Rosemont, Illinois
•  Stacie Pinderhughes, MD, Medical Director, Optumcare, Complex Care Management, Phoenix, Arizona

Jan Jones, of The Elizabeth Hospice, continues in her second year as board-chair. Joining Jones on the board’s executive committee are Gregory Wood, vice-chair, of Hospice of the Ozarks; Regina Bodnar, secretary, of Carroll Hospice; David Williams, treasurer, of VITAS Healthcare; and Edo Banach, NHPCO president and CEO. Additional members of the executive committee are Suzi Johnson of Sharp HospiceCare, Rafael Sciullo of Empath Health/Suncoast Hospice, and Norman McRae of Caris HealthCare, LP.

“NHPCO thanks all the new and existing board members for their dedicated service on behalf of our nation’s hospice and palliative care provider community as well as the millions of patients and family caregivers that benefit from the care that our diverse membership provides. Board members come from programs that vary in size and structure, serve urban and rural areas, and represent single-site and multi-state providers. We all share a common goal to advance interdisciplinary, person-centered care to all those with or at risk of serious illness,” said Edo Banach, president and CEO of NHPCO. 

NHPCO extends special thanks to the board members who concluded service in 2017: Linda Todd, Kenneth Zeri, SueAnn Reynolds, and Lori Bishop.

A list of NHPCO’s full board of directors is available in the “About NHPCO” section of the organization’s website.