Walmart Snags Ochsner Executive; Amedisys Names New Hospice Leader

Walmart’s latest health care hire

Walmart has reportedly snagged Dr. David Carmouche from Louisiana-based Ochsner Health to lead its expansion into retail health care.

Walmart officially kicked off its health care strategy in 2019 when it opened its first 10,000-square-foot health center in Dallas, Georgia. That initial location even included an on-site connection to home health giant Amedisys Inc. (Nasdaq: AMED).

Since then, Walmart has opened several new centers across George while also announcing expansions to other states like Arkansas and Florida.

“We want to support people being in their home and aging in place,” Walmart Health Senior Vice President Marcus Osborne said in August. “We also want to address social isolation and … how technology is playing a role there.”

Ochsner is a large, nonprofit health system that operates across Louisiana, Mississippi and other parts of the Southern Gulf region. While there, Carmouche was tasked with growing the system’s risk- and value-based care delivery models.

Amedisys adds to hospice leadership team

Kacy Kang, former chief operations officer for Meridian Senior Living, has been tapped as the new president of hospice at Amedisys. While the Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based Amedisys has not yet announced Kang’s role, updates to his LinkedIn page reflect the new title.

Kang left Meridian amid a shakeup of the company’s leadership team, in which four members of its C-suite moved into other chief executive positions. He will continue to serve as a senior advisor to Meridian and remain on the board of its parent company, Griffin-American Healthcare REIT I, Inc., according to Senior Housing News.

As president of Amedisys’ hospice business, Kang will have a critical role in executing the company’s growth strategy for that segment. Amedisys has doubled down on hospice expansion in recent years, with an emphasis on acquisitions.

Jet Health appoints personal care VP

Jet Health Inc. has appointed Kara Craig to the newly created position of vice president of personal care. Founded in 2016, the Fort Worth, Texas-based Jet is a regional provider of home health and hospice services.

In her new role, Craig will oversee all personal care programs for Jet, which currently includes the provision of non-medical home care services to assist patients with activities of daily living (ADLs). Her responsibilities include the oversight of administrative staff, increasing brand awareness, expanding Jet’s caregiver network and more.

Since April 2020, Craig has been serving as executive director for First Choice Home Health and Hospice, a Boise, Idaho-based home health and hospice company owned by Jet.

“Kara has continually demonstrated her capabilities, industry knowledge and related contacts,” Stacie Bratcher, CEO of Jet, said in a press release. “Her contributions to our hospice program have helped enhance our offering to date, and with this promotion, we believe she will further elevate our personal care services.”

Craig’s appointment comes as Jet seeks to grow across its services line while building density in key markets.

CareAcademy hires engineering, sales execs

CareAcademy has added two vice presidents to its leadership team overseeing engineering and sales.

As VP of engineering, Shira Haddad will lead the Boston-based CareAcademy’s engineering department, plus all related operations and activities. Prior to CareAcademy, Haddad led the engineering team at Kyruus, a provider of search, scheduling and data management solutions for health care organizations.

Meanwhile, Jeff Herd joins CareAcademy as VP of sales, where he will focus on expanding the company’s growth team and infrastructure. Prior to joining CareAcademy, Herd held sales leadership roles with Verifone, Zynx Health, Equinox Payments and Jacobus Consulting.

“We are delighted to welcome Shira and Jeff to CareAcademy to help guide our engineering and sales teams, respectively, and to further accelerate this next phase of our growth strategy,” Helen Adeosun, founder and CEO of CareAcademy, said in a press release. “Training is proving itself as a true health intervention as care moves rapidly into home- and community-based settings. Jeff and Shira will play an instrumental role as we transform how quality home care is delivered, fueled by data and insights.”

Encompass Health appoints new board member

Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE: EHC) has announced the appointment of Christopher R. Reidy to its board of directors, effective Oct. 1. The appointment expands the Encompass Health board to 15 director seats as part of its ongoing succession planning.

Reidy joins the Encompass Health board with experience in health care, finance, accounting, strategic planning, and information technology and security. He currently serves as the CFO and chief administrative officer of Becton, Dickinson and Company, one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world.

“We are pleased that Chris, an extremely accomplished and respected executive, will bring a wide and diverse range of skills and experiences to the Encompass Health Board,” Leo I. Higdon Jr., chairman of Encompass Health’s board of directors, said in a statement. “The appointment of Chris reflects our commitment to adding new skills and perspectives in order to facilitate board transition as part of our succession planning, while maintaining the company’s position as the leading provider of integrated health care services in a rapidly changing health care environment.”

Birmingham, Alabama-based Encompass Health’s network includes 145 hospitals, 249 home health locations and 95 hospice locations in 42 states and Puerto Rico.

The company plans to separate its home health and hospice segment via a public spinoff in the first half of next year.

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