We’re proud to see our CEO advocating at the national level for community-based hospice and palliative care. Thank you for elevating frontline voices, championing integrity in our field, and working collaboratively to protect compassionate, local care for patients and families. Your leadership and commitment to advancing quality, ethical care make a meaningful difference.
I had the privilege of being invited to meet with Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), to share candid examples of what’s working, and what’s not, within the Hospice and Home Health industries across California. I was joined by fellow nonprofit NPHI member leaders - Sarah McSpadden, CEO from The Elizabeth Hospice (San Diego), Kiran Shah, CEO from VNA Health (Santa Barbara), Molly Corbett, CEO from Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice (Ventura), and Cathy Conway, CEO from Hospice of Santa Cruz County (Santa Cruz), and leadership from AccentCare, Bristol Hospice, VITAS Healthcare, and Providence - at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. Together, we shared our frontline experiences and discussed many issues affecting our day-to-day work, including why cases of fraud and abuse impact not just individual compliant organizations, but the integrity of the entire industry, and especially our patients, families, and caregivers' lives! This session, coordinated by the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), is a powerful example of collaboration and how coming together to protect community-based care can ensure access to compassionate, local hospice and home health services for generations to come. Thank you to Mehmet Oz, Kimberly Brandt (CMS COO), and Chris Klomp (CMS Deputy Administrator) for welcoming us and opening the lines of communication. Your openness to hearing our collective voices, and genuine interest in finding solutions for the fraud and abuse occurring within our industry was apparent and appreciated!
