Washington The search for a president and chief executive officer by the American Association for Homecare is over. Thomas Connaughton, a Washington lawyer and lobbyist, assumed the role July 5.

Connaughton comes to AAHomecare from the law firm Oppenheimer Wolff Donnelly & Bayh, where as a partner he worked for medical device, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies on Medicare, Food and Drug Administration and export control issues. He has also served as counsel to the Senate Judiciary and Intelligence committees and as a Senate legislative assistant, legislative director and administrative assistant.

"I am very excited by this opportunity," said Connaughton, adding that the prospect of making a difference in an industry as important as home health care is one of the primary reasons he accepted the position. He also expects his background as a Washington lawyer and experience in regulatory and legislative matters will serve him well.

In other AAHomecare news, approximately 80 home medical equipment providers and manufacturers, primed to lobby representatives on Capitol Hill, recently gathered here for the association's annual Washington Conference.

The timing couldn't have been better: Health policies are a top issue as the elections approach and plans for Medicare modernization take shape. The Capitol Budget Office is also expected to report new Medicare "savings" this summer that may be earmarked for additional home health industry givebacks.

"We need to eliminate the 15 percent cut [in the home health benefit] and fully restore the [Consumer Price Index] increase in 2001 and 2002," said Don White, AAHomecare chairman, at the conference. "And we need our membership to deliver the constituent connection to the Hill."

AAHomecare also announced that it has launched the sites: www.aahomecare.org for the public and www.aahomecare.net for members.