ALEXANDRIA, Va. (November 29, 2018)—The National Home Infusion Association (NHIA), representing providers and suppliers of home and specialty infusion therapy, announced that its board of directors has appointed Connie Sullivan, BSPharm, president and chief executive officer, effective December 1, 2018. Sullivan will be the first pharmacist to hold the position of CEO since NHIA’s inception in 1991.
“With the growing recognition by patients and their families, payers and health care providers of the benefits of home infusion, such as lower cost and a higher quality of life, more care is transitioning to the home from institutional settings. NHIA’s role in representing this dynamic industry has never been more important,” said NHIA board chair Varner Richards, PharmD, chief executive officer of Intramed Plus Inc. “Our next CEO needed to be an individual who could thrive in a highly dynamic health care environment, be capable of accelerating what is working well and disrupt what needs to change. Connie’s 25 years of home infusion clinical experience, participation in legislative and regulatory affairs, and strong business acumen makes her uniquely qualified to advance the association and the industry overall,” he added.
“I am honored to take on this role and look forward to representing this highly innovative industry and the pharmacists, nurses, suppliers and other infusion professionals devoted to the mission of supporting patients who rely on high-quality, cost-effective home and specialty infusion services,” said Sullivan. “NHIA has a great future, and the opportunities that lie ahead for the industry are endless."
Since joining the organization in 2015, Sullivan has played a crucial role in every facet of the association, most recently as vice president of research and innovation. She has provided her expertise and leadership in advocating for expanded Medicare coverage of home infusion services, advancing industry data initiatives to improve and validate the quality of patient care, and establishing educational programs to advance the technical capabilities of the industry.
Sullivan has also led efforts by the National Home Infusion Foundation to develop the next generation of home infusion leaders, encourage participation in research, and advance the overall mission of the Foundation.
“Challenged by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ lack of acknowledgement of the overall professional services infusion pharmacists provide, and with the goal of attaining workable professional services payments under Medicare Parts B and D, collecting data to advocate for our industry and patients, and preparing the industry for value-based reimbursement—this is a critical time for the home and specialty infusion industry,” added Richards.
Prior to joining NHIA, Sullivan spent 15 years as National Infusion Director for Heartland IV Care, a national provider of infusion, home health and hospice care. In this capacity, she was responsible for a large, multi-site pharmacy operation. During this time, she lent her expertise as a volunteer on various NHIA committees including the Standards Committee, Outcomes Task Force and Government Affairs Committee. In addition, she was a frequent presenter at the association’s annual conference and has spoken at various other industry meetings on topics relating to the delivery of home infusion services, sterile pharmacy compounding and industry data collection. She has also served as a contributing author to INFUSION magazine.
Sullivan has a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree from The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy.
NHIA is a trade association that represents companies that provide infusion therapy to patients in their homes, as well as companies that manufacture and supply infusion and specialty pharmacy products. Infusion therapy involves patient-specific compounded medications, supplies and a range of pharmacy, nursing and other clinical services for delivering care to patients in the home setting. For more information, visit nhia.org.
