Policy and funding expert Alexis Ward will be joining the team at the American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare).
In a May 2 announcement, AAHomecare said Ward would become Senior Director of Payer Relations on June 19.
Ward has worked in the HME industry for more than 25 years with a focus on expanding coverage and reimbursement for Complex Rehab Technology (CRT). She is known for her extensive work with Medicaid programs, managed care organizations, and insurance companies.
AAHomecare said Ward’s new position will boost the association’s efforts to create “sustainable reimbursements and robust network access for HME suppliers across the increasingly important cohort of non-Medicare payers.”
Ward is currently Vice President of Payer Relations for National Seating & Mobility (NSM), a national provider focused on CRT and home accessibility in the United States and Canada.
Doug McDaniel, NSM’s Senior Vice President of Payer Relations, said in the announcement, “Proactive efforts to advocate for the correction of inadequate funding policies and drive reimbursement adjustments is crucial to the future of the complex rehab technology industry. Alexis has the passion, experience and knowledge needed to champion much-needed solutions to these funding challenges and will serve us all well in this new role at AAHomecare. We look forward to collaborating with her and the AAHomecare team for the benefit of the entire industry.”
“I have been honored to spend the last 25 years supporting the needs of the many providers I have worked for and the communities they serve,” Ward said in the announcement. “I am truly excited to be bringing that knowledge and experience to the table for the industry at large and am eager to get to work pursuing the needed changes.”
Tom Ryan, AAHomecare’s President/CEO, said in the announcement, “We’re thrilled to bring such an accomplished HME advocacy professional onto the AAHomecare team. Alexis earned her reputation as a highly effective and well-respected advocate through her work with two major companies in the HME sector and as a leader on our Board of Directors, Complex Rehab and Mobility Council and Regulatory Council.
“Alexis will help us directly engage Medicaid officials and major payers in more states, while also providing expertise and support that will allow HME suppliers and other stakeholders to work more effectively with these payers,” Ryan noted. “Our payer relations team has had a lot of success on behalf of HME since we made payer relations a strategic priority in 2016, and adding Alexis reinforces that success. In addition, her background working for two national-scope mobility providers also strengthens our ability to advocate on issues in that segment, including the growing number of state-level wheelchair right-to-repair legislative proposals.”
