Alexandria, Va. The newly formed American Association for Homecare has named prominent health care lawyer Galen Powers as its interim president.

Powers is senior founder and president of Washington-based Powers, Pyles, Sutter & Verville, a national law firm specializing in health care law. He also has experience in the association arena, serving as president of the American Health Lawyers Association, an education society for health lawyers, and helped develop the D.C. Hospital Association, the National Association of Medicare-Dependent Hospitals and the regional affiliates of the Voluntary Hospitals of America.

"The American Association for Homecare is the only all-inclusive association representing the full spectrum of the home care industry, and its prominent leaders have committed to this new enterprise," Powers said. AAH was formed by a melding of the National Association of Medical Equipment Services, the home care division of the Health Industry Distributors and the Home Health Services and Staffing Association. "We will provide a unified voice on behalf of the recipients of home care and their providers in helping craft the public policy choices needed to make it possible for them to do so," he said.

According to David Savitsky, an AAH board member, Powers' credentials are what made him the perfect choice to initially head the organization. "Galen is someone who has a tremendous amount of experience in the health care industry," Savitsky said. "The practice that he started has clients throughout the health care industry, which we think will benefit the association tremendously. And he can do the things from an organizational standpoint that will help establish AAH in the best possible way.

"Our intention is to hit the ground running," Savitsky continued. "We expect the organization to really move in all the directions that it needs to without delay, and we chose Galen because we knew he could do that."

AAH is currently conducting a search to permanently fill the position. But Powers said he is not a candidate, indicating he is strictly serving on a short-term basis. "It's a wonderful challenge to take three organizations that are trying to meld themselves into one. That opportunity doesn't come along often," he said. "This is a challenge, and I respond well to challenges...but I've got my law practice I need to get back to once I get this organization on a track that I think is sustainable."

In addition to Powers, AAH has named its staff, as follows: Cara Bachenheimer, vice president, member services; Mara Benner, vice president (home health), government relations; Asela Cuervo, vice president (home medical equipment focus), government relations; Julie Holland and Lauren Young, communications; Terri Judd and Kim Kianka, meetings/education; Lorease Johnson, Melva Mazur, Diane Sams and Barbara Voyiaziakis, member action center; and Kelly Crawford, Seth Johnson and Erin McKeon, government relations.