AAHomecare Names New Senior Director of Payer Relations

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 16, 2016)—AAHomecare announced that Laura Williard will join the association to identify opportunities for AAHomecare to meet the ever-changing needs of the home medical equipment community.

Williard will serve as the newly appointed senior director of Payer Relations, a position that will build on the wealth of member benefits offered by the association. Williard, who has served in the HME community for more than 20 years, most recently at Advanced Home Care, commented on the new position, “I’m excited to be joining the excellent team at AAHomecare and look forward to helping provide an added benefit to our members. As health care trends have continued to shift towards a managed care environment, providers are having to focus more on these payers. I have spent a large portion of my career developing relationships with these payers and working collaboratively with them to be able to provide and be paid for quality services in a cost effective manner. I look forward to utilizing these skills and helping providers with this challenge.”

The Association understands that many providers no longer work with Medicare and will value assistance with other types of payment systems. Tom Ryan, president and CEO of AAHomecare, explained that “in looking for a candidate for this new position, AAHomecare naturally tapped into the vast industry experience of a veteran in the HME community. Laura Williard will develop reference materials and provide assistance to our members in navigating payer relationships and concerns, serving as the go-to person on rules and regulations for these payers from CMS. More broadly, she will be the change-agent in response to Medicare Advantage audits to support members in developing strategies and resource materials.”

Currently serving as the senior director of regulatory affairs and contracting for Advanced Home Care, Wiliard is very active in the state associations. She is a current board member for GAMES, vice president for NCAMES, and vice president for ATHOMES. She also serves as the vice chair for the Jurisdiction C Medicare Council, is an active member of the AAHomecare Regulatory Council, and is a founding member of the Mediware User Group. Williard also participates as a member of the Palmetto 16 State Coalition Committee and sits on the Public Policy Committee of the Visiting Nurses Association of America.

In addition to her industry involvement, Williard has previous experience managing a large reimbursement department with 150 employees and was responsible for all aspects of the revenue cycle. Her current responsibilities include ensuring compliance for Advanced Home Care, along with patient and revenue integration for mergers and acquisitions, data and budget analysis, and negotiations of all managed care contracts.

“On behalf of Advanced Home Care, a longtime member of the American Association for Homecare, I would like to offer Laura congratulations on joining the Association. She is a seasoned professional in the industry with experience in HME, respiratory, home health and infusion. Advancing to the national association was a natural progression in her career; she will excel and be a key benefit for association members, including Advanced Home Care,” responded Joel Mills, chief executive officer of Advanced Home Care. “I look forward to Laura’s continued success and the positive impact she will have on the HME community through this new role.”

Visit aahomecare.org for more information.