Geoff Abraskin promoted to hospice president at Amedisys
Geoff Abraskin has been named the new president of the hospice division at Amedisys (Nasdaq: AMED).
He has been with the company for nearly 15 years.
“Geoffrey Abraskin has been promoted to President of the Hospice Division!” Amedisys wrote in a LinkedIn post last week. “Geoff is a doctor of physical therapy and a certified wound specialist who joined Amedisys 14 years ago as an administrator and rehabilitation specialty director. He most recently served as SVP of the home health northeast region, and brings strong operational, clinical, integration, engagement and overall strategy expertise to the hospice team.”
Based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Amedisys is a provider of home health, hospice and high-acuity care services in the home. It has about 16,500 employees that deliver care through over 520 care centers in 37 states and the District of Columbia.
Abraskin recently sat down with Home Health Care News to chat about some of Amedisys’ recent successes.
“We’re seeing some green shoots from people applying for jobs,” he said. “We actually just had our best two months in terms of fills. We’re seeing contractor costs coming down, so that’s a big positive for us. But overall, there’s so many people that need home health today, and there’s just X number of capacity. We’re hiring more people. We just can’t hire fast enough.”
UnitedHealth Group’s (NYSE: UNH) Optum agreed to acquire Amedisys earlier this year.
Elevance Health’s Next CFO
Earlier this month, Elevance Health (NYSE: ELV) announced that CFO John Gallina would be retiring from his role as executive vice president and CFO later this year. In tandem with that news, the company announced that Mark Kaye would be taking over those positions.
Kaye was formerly the CFO at Moody’s Corporation. He will report directly to Gail Boudreaux, the president and CEO of Elevance Health. From September 6 to November 1, Kaye will serve as CFO Designate. After that, he will officially become the executive vice president and CFO of Elevance Health.
Gallina will also remain with the company as a special advisor to the CEO following his retirement. He has been at Elevance Health for nearly three decades, and was named CFO in 2016.
“On behalf of the entire Elevance Health team, I want to thank John for his contributions to our company over the last three decades,” Boudreaux said in a statement. “John has been a valued member of our organization who has successfully led our finance organization, navigated an ever-changing and dynamic health care landscape, and played an important role in our transformation to become a lifetime trusted health partner.”
Based in Indianapolis, Elevance Health is a large managed care company. It also is part provider, however, and has made in-home care a priority.
It most recently teased big plans to get more involved with at-home acute care.
“Mark is a well-respected leader with an extensive global finance background, who has significant experience in leveraging data-driven financial insight to support the execution of superior operational and strategic decisions, including growing and scaling businesses to drive success,” Boudreaux said in a statement. “With an innovative and customer first mindset coupled with his passion for fostering a high- performance culture, Mark will be a tremendous asset as we work to deliver on our purpose to improve the health of humanity.”
The Helper Bees’ Daniel Murphy joins the Family Caregiving Advisory Council
The Helper Bees announced last week that Daniel Murphy will join the federal Family Caregiving Advisory Council, which “makes recommendations to the administrator of ACL/Assistant Secretary for Aging on how to support and improve the lives of family caregivers.”
Murphy is the general manager of SaaS solutions at The Helper Bees. He previously was the co-founder and chief product officer of healthAlign, which was acquired by The Helper Bees in 2021. Before that, he served as national director of population health product and strategy for Maxim, a home health care provider.
“My experiences in the military led me to the home health care industry when I transitioned to the private sector, where I continue to serve others,” Murphy said in a statement. “I’ve spent the past decade in the aging services industry, helping families, insurance companies and policymakers deliver better care for veterans and older Americans who deserve quality care. I look forward to working with other members of the Council, advising on solutions to improve caregiving.”
Based in Austin, Texas, the Helper Bees is an insurtech company that partners with payers and home-based care providers to help coordinate care in the home.
Murphy will serve on the Family Advisory Council through 2026.
DUOS appoints chief strategy and growth officer
The home-based care startup DUOS has named Jenn Kerfoot as chief strategy and growth officer.
Kerfoot previously served as the chief experience officer at FarmboxRx.
“Coming off a stellar Series A funding close earlier this year, DUOS brings on Kerfoot at a critical time of expansion to lead all things growth, including business development, B2B sales, brand marketing and more,” the company said in a statement.
Indeed, DUOS announced in June that it raised $10 million, bringing its funding total to over $33 million. The round was led by Primetime Partners and SJF Ventures.
Based in New York, the company places personal care assistants into seniors’ homes. It also has proprietary software, which has become a larger part of its business model.
DUOS hired Tom Shankle as the company’s new VP of health solutions earlier this month.
AlayaCare brings on new SVP of customer success
AlayaCare announced that Rhonda Bosch is joining its executive leadership team as SVP of customer success.
In the her role, she will “spearhead customer success strategies and initiatives, driving unparalleled value and satisfaction for clients across the home care sector,” according to the company.
“We are delighted to welcome Rhonda to our executive team,” AlayaCare Founder and CEO Adrian Schauer said in a statement. “Her proven expertise in fostering customer relationships and driving growth aligns seamlessly with our mission to provide innovative solutions that exceed our client’s expectations.”
Previously, Bosch served as the COO of Mercatus Technologies Inc.
“I am honored to join AlayaCare and lead the customer success efforts,” Bosch said in a statement. “What drew me to AlayaCare is that our people really care. And when you care about making a difference, you really own it. AlayaCare works hard to make it easier for caregivers to be able to execute a high level of care, and I’m excited to help nurture and foster their customers to achieve better outcomes.”