The NAHC-NHPCO Alliance on Monday announced Dr. Steven Landers as its new CEO, marking the first executive role filled at the recently combined organization.

Landers steps in to replace co-CEOs Bill Dombi and Ben Marcantonio. The Alliance hinted that it was inching closer to a leadership decision earlier this month after completing an affiliation in June between the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO).

Landers during the last decade held executive leadership roles at Hebrew SeniorLife and Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) Health Group Inc. He most recently served as president of the consulting and advisory company Landers StratAGEy. Landers is a board-certified physician in hospice and palliative care, as well as family and geriatric medicine. He also holds a masters degree in public health policy and management.

“From making thousands of home visits as a physician to testifying in front of Congress as a health policy advocate, we believe Dr. Landers is the best individual to lead our newly merged organization into the future,” the alliance’s board said in a statement shared with Hospice News. “We look forward to what the future will bring under the leadership of Dr. Landers. We will ensure that health care at home continues to evolve as an integral and vital partner in the continuum of care in America.”

Landers’ appointment as inaugural CEO represents another step in the alliance’s integration process, which is expected to continue through the beginning of 2025.

NAHC and NHPCO announced their intent to join forces in March. The alliance grew out of a shared belief that unification would benefit their respective members and the patients and families they serve, the organization indicated. Most of the alliance’s members are home health, hospice and palliative care providers.

Before joining the alliance, Landers served on the board of several home care-based organizations and engaged with state legislators and Congress members. Landers has also advocated and discussed regulatory and policy changes with the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) officials.

“Providing leadership around policy and advocacy efforts is critical to our mission at The Alliance,” Ken Albert, transition board chair said in the announcement. “Dr. Landers served the field as an effective policy advocate, shaping policy at both the state and federal levels. We are thrilled to welcome him as our inaugural CEO, and I know he will build an extraordinary team to offer value for our members.”

Landers is well-positioned to lead the alliance’s advocacy work and lobbying efforts, according to Nick Westfall, chairman and CEO of VITAS Healthcare, a subsidiary of Chemed Corp. (NYSE: CHEM). Westfall was among six members on a steering committee who selected Landers as the alliance’s CEO.

“The home-based care community is very fortunate to welcome Dr. Steve Landers as the new CEO of the Alliance,” Westfall told Hospice News in an email. “His vision and knowledge of patient care will translate to best-in-class advocacy for care at home and community providers across the country — and help us build an even stronger future for our sectors of the American health care delivery system.”

Other hospice advocacy groups were quick to praise the alliance’s choice, including the National Partnership for Healthcare & Hospice Innovation (NPHI), a frequent collaborator with NAHC and NHPCO.

“Dr. Landers is a distinguished leader whose dedication to advancing home health, primary care, and aging services has made a lasting impact nationwide,” NPHI CEO Tom Koutsoumpas and President Carole Fisher said in a statement emailed to Hospice News. “His nearly two decades of experience as a physician, executive leader, and health policy advocate uniquely position him to lead the new Alliance with vision and purpose. NPHI looks forward to continued opportunities for collaboration with the Alliance under Dr. Landers’ leadership.”