Partners In Care Hospice Names New CEO; VITAS Promotes Company Veterans

Partners In Care Taps Hagfors as CEO

Partners In Care, a hospice provider located in Central Oregon, has appointed Greg Hagfors as its new CEO.

Founded in 1979 as an all-volunteer hospice known as Friends of Hospice, Partners In Care serves a 10,000-square-foot market in the Beaver State. The nonprofit operates six business lines, from home-based and in-patient hospice care, to palliative care and home health services.

“Our board of directors engaged in a thoughtful process to fill the lead staff role following the retirement of Eric Alexander, who served the nonprofit organization for 16 years,” President and Board Chair Suzanne Lafky said in a press release. “We are gratified that Greg Hagfors has accepted our offer of employment and will officially be installed on April 11.”

Hagfors has been a senior-level health care executive for more than 25 years, with most of his experience focused on strategy development and deployment, operational performance enhancement and leadership cultivation.

Previously, he served as CEO of the Bend Memorial Clinic – now known as Summit Health – from 2011 to 2016. At that time, he became managing director of Castling Partners, a health care advisory, management and development firm.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to work with the team at Partners In Care,” Hagfors said in the release. “Partners In Care has an outstanding team of employees that has a patient-centered culture that effectively collaborates with other providers throughout the region to enhance the patient’s experience.”

VITAS Announces Executive Promotions

VITAS Healthcare, a subsidiary of Chemed Corporation (NYSE: CHE), has promoted two employees to serve as vice presidents of hospice operations.

Michael W. Smith now leads VITAS Healthcare operations throughout North Florida, while James Cozine oversees the Northeastern U.S. region. 

The Miami-based VITAS operates 49 hospice programs in 14 states and the District of Columbia, employing nearly 9,900 end-of-life care professionals. In addition to its home-based care services, the company oversees 28 in-patient hospice units.

Smith first joined VITAS in 2013, while Cozine, formerly a regional director of market development, came on board in 2015. Smith’s previous responsibilities included “mentoring, analysis, strategic direction and training management,” according to a press release announcing the news.

The promotions come as VITAS gets ready to restart its hospice M&A engine, which has been idle over the past couple of years.

Hospice and Palliative Care of Iredell Names CMO

The North Carolina-based Hospice and Palliative Care of Iredell has named Erin Carnes, M.D., as its new chief medical officer.

Established in 1984, Hospice and Palliative Care of Iredell County is a community-based provider that serves patients across 10 counties in North Carolina. The organization provides care in the home, at hospitals, and in assisted living or skilled nursing facilities in the region.

The CMO news comes about a month after the provider named Michael Smith as its next president and CEO.

“We are excited to announce the promotion of Dr. Carnes to chief medical officer, as she has been an integral part of the organization’s continued growth and achievement over the last several years,” Smith said in a statement. “Since Dr. Carnes joined our team in 2019, the organization has grown with the addition of several palliative care clinics and this past September, the opening of the S. Mitchell Mack Hospice House.”

Carnes is board-certified in emergency medicine and has received her Hospice Medical Director Certification (HMDC).

Carolina Caring Makes VP of Hospice Services Announcements 

Carolina Caring, formerly Catawba Regional Hospice, has promoted Ashley Perkins to vice president of hospice services.

The registered nurse has more than 20 years of health care experience. She previously served as director of nursing and as a team leader in the home care and continuing care retirement community settings.

Carolina Caring, founded in 1979, is an independent, community-based, nonprofit health care provider that serves 12 counties across Western North Carolina and the Charlotte region. Its services include palliative medicine and hospice care for patients of all ages, plus primary care and grief counseling.

Hospice of the North Country Lands New Medical Director

The Plattsburgh, New York-based Hospice of the North Country has named Rajiv Pant, M.D., as its medical director.

Hospice of the North Country offers a range of services, including pain and symptom management, nursing visits and bereavement support. In addition to the Plattsburgh location, the provider also has an office in Malone, New York.

Pant is board certified in internal medicine, hospital medicine, and hospice and palliative medicine. He had previously been serving as assistant medical director for the past two years alongside Deborah Lang, M.D.