WASHINGTON, DC – AAHomecare past chairman Thomas H. Ryan (pictured) will join the association in early September as its new president and CEO. The announcement made last week culminates an exhaustive search to find a replacement for outgoing president Tyler Wilson.
Ryan will step down as longtime president and CEO of Farmingdale, NY-based Homecare Concepts to take on his new role. “I’m transitioning from an under pressure New York provider in a harried New York market that has been affected by competitive bidding to this new national role,” Ryan told Medtrade Monday last week. “All I know is that I’m going from the fire to the frying pan, that is for sure.”
As a stockholder of Homecare Concepts, Ryan will maintain some “skin in the game,” but will leave the day-to-day operations to his management team. “I’m still an interested participant,” said Ryan. “But running AAHomecare is a full time job and more.”
In his new capacity, Ryan will be responsible for executing the Association’s strategic plan, leading the Association’s legislative advocacy, and overseeing membership development and regulatory affairs initiatives in conjunction with the Washington, D.C.-based staff, and the Association’s Board of Directors.
As a provider for 25 years, Ryan knows the financial pressure of competitive bidding first hand, and he remains optimistic that the industry’s market pricing program can be a valid replacement for the flawed bidding program. “We have an industry under strife,” said Ryan. “We need provider support and membership more than anything right now. For my part, I know the players in Washington, I have testified before Congress, and worked with key members of CMS. It’s the challenge of a lifetime.”
Earlier this year, the Association announced that Tyler J. Wilson, president and CEO since 2006, would leave the organization in September 2013. Ryan and Wilson will work collaboratively over the next month to effect a smooth transition.
Robert Steedley, president of Barnes Healthcare Services in Valdosta, Ga, and chairman of AAHomecare’s Board of Directors, commented, “We are very excited that after an extensive executive search involving a field of highly-qualified external candidates, as well as those with home care industry experience, Tom Ryan emerged as the clear choice to lead our Association in the future.”
“We tremble as we look ahead as storm clouds gather over our industry heads,” added Shelly Prial, longtime industry advocate and Medtrade Ambassador. “I know I speak for all of us as we say, ‘Tom, we are with you!’ Count on us for support as you guide us through the adversity we face.”