After five years at the helm, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) President and CEO Edo Banach on Friday announced that he’ll be stepping away from the role at the end of August.
Banach has helped the organization weather storms during the pandemic, as well as furthered its mission to support providers and professionals caring for patients with serious and terminal illnesses.
“My time with NHPCO has been one of the most fulfilling chapters of my career,” said Banach in a company announcement. “Over the last five years, NHPCO has delivered on the promise to provide our members with the best possible resources, networking, education and advocacy to advance their organizations, their careers and the interests of the hospice and palliative community. I am proud of that work, I look forward to my next challenge and I’ll remain a cheerleader for NHPCO.”
Part of NHPCO’s mission is to expand access to a person-centered model for health care, something Banach has echoed in his leadership.
Clinical workforce shortages, limited access to palliative care, changing payment models and the long-term regulatory outlook are just some of the complex issues that spell a growing need for the United States to reprioritize person-centered interdisciplinary care delivered in the home and community, he told Hospice News earlier this year.
Among his initiatives to make care more accessible to patients and families has been advocating for an established community-based palliative benefit to be set in stone.
Medicare currently reimburses for palliative care physician services through fee-for-service payment programs that do not sufficiently cover the full range of interdisciplinary care. Medicare Advantage plans also cover palliative care as a supplemental benefit, but these efforts have fallen short of a national model.
A potential payment system would likely be based on the Medicare Care Choices Model (MCCM) demonstration, Banach told Hospice News. Through this demonstration, CMS is assessing whether concurrent care can improve the quality of life and care of hospice patients covered by Medicare, while boosting patient satisfaction. Though hopeful that ground would break as COVID-19 illuminated a growing need to support home-based services, no such benefit has yet been established.
During Banach’s tenure, NHPCO’s financial position has “improved greatly,” according to Norman McRae, chair of NHPCO’s board of directors.
Banach’s skills and expertise came at a much-needed time of transition in the hospice and palliative care community, McRae added.
“We are grateful to Edo for his leadership. His work has positioned NHPCO to continue to succeed into the future on behalf of our members and the entire hospice and palliative care community,” said McRae. “His leadership has helped us professionalize key elements of the benefits we provide to the community, most notably our best-in-class advocacy operations.”
Banach has previously served as deputy director and senior leader at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Prior to joining NHPCO, he was a partner at health care firm Gallagher Evelius & Jones LLP, also providing general counsel at the Medicare Rights Center.
NHPCO is working in tandem with Banach and a national search firm to fill the leadership position. Ben Marcantonio, NHPCO’s chief operating officer will serve as the organization’s interim president and CEO.
Marcantonio brings more than two decades of hospice and palliative care experience, including nine years of executive leadership.
The organization anticipates a “smooth transition” in filling the role, according to McRae.
Companies featured in this article:
Gallagher Evelius & Jones LLP, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
