VITAS Healthcare to Sponsor, Exhibit and Host Panel at 2017 AHIP Institute and Expo

05/23/2017

Miami, FL, May 23, 2017—VITAS Healthcare, the nation’s leading provider of end-of-life care, will have a significant presence as Platinum Level sponsor at America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) Institute & Expo being held June 7–9, 2017 in Austin, Texas. VITAS’s presence at AHIP will focus on showcasing its proven, seamless care transitions for patients with complex needs to healthcare providers who want to improve the quality of end-of-life care for their members, increase patient and family satisfaction and help their organizations manage their medical cost ratio. These conversations will take place at VITAS’ booth #625 at any time.

Representing VITAS at AHIP are President and CFO David Wester, SVP and National Medical Director Joseph Shega, M.D., SVP and Chief Marketing Officer Drew Landmeier and several members of the company’s National Accounts Department who are responsible for establishing strategic partnerships with ACOs, Bundled Payment Conveners, Managed Care Organizations, Hospital Systems, Care Management Companies, Assisted Living Companies, Long-Term Care Providers, Disease Management Companies and more.

“The collaborative efforts of hospice providers, clinicians and insurance organizations creates a specialized care process that not only reduces healthcare costs, but provides patients with the highest quality of care,” said VITAS President and CFO David Wester. “We look forward to sharing our insights and hearing from others in the industry about successful partnerships that are caring for patients with complex conditions.”

VITAS AHIP Session

Attendees are welcome to attend VITAS’ AHIP Session.

Title: Outcome-Aligned Partnerships that Integrate Care Delivery for Individuals with Advanced Illness

Description: Recognition of gaps within the care continuum is key to ensuring patient-centered quality care. Patients with advanced illness commonly experience gaps in care, which may lead to care not consistent with their wishes and/or values, particularly during periods of transition. All parties, including health plans, benefit from effective acute and post-acute care partnerships that identify patients with advanced illness who no longer respond to curative treatments. In this session, stakeholders across the continuum present examples of successful partnerships with palliative care and hospice groups that enhance the patient experience, improve quality benchmarks, and integrate beneficial and effective care which together mitigate risk and create value for patients with progressive serious illness.

Date: Thursday, June 8, 2017

Time: 7:45-8:30 a.m. CDT

Location: Room 12AB Austin Convention Center, 500 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78701

Panelists:

• Joseph Shega, MD, senior vice president and medical director for VITAS Healthcare, is board certified in geriatrics and hospice and palliative medicine. He is an associate professor of medicine at the University of Central Florida, on the editorial board of the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management and a member of the Academy of Medicine roundtable on quality care for persons with serious illness.
• Jeffrey T. King, RN, MBA, is vice president of healthcare services for Molina Healthcare of Florida, which provides managed healthcare services to 750,000 members in 37 counties throughout Florida.
• Shellie Williams, MD, is director of geriatric medicine and palliative medicine education at Pritzker School of Medicine, a member of the University of Chicago Academy of Distinguished Medical Educators, and a member of the board of directors for the University of Chicago ACO.

VITAS offers personalized end-of-life care plans that improve patients’ quality of life, resulting in higher CAHPS® scores and meeting multiple HEDIS® benchmarks. VITAS’ longitudinal care continuum also offers a reduction in the following areas: 911 calls, ED visits, critical care unit utilization, hospital readmissions, medication spend and length of stay.

About VITAS Healthcare

VITAS® Healthcare, a pioneer and leader in the hospice movement since 1978, is the nation’s leading provider of end-of-life care. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, VITAS operates 44 hospice programs in 14 states and the District of Columbia. (California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin). As of the first quarter of 2017, VITAS employs 11,606 professionals who care for terminally ill patients daily, primarily in the patients’ homes, but also in the company’s 32 inpatient hospice units as well as in hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living communities/residential care facilities for the elderly. At the conclusion of the first quarter of 2017, VITAS reported an average daily census of 16,319.

This press release represents the views of VITAS Healthcare, not America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).