Organizational Update
October 12, 2023
Dear Colleagues:
Since I assumed the role of CEO in February 2021, our Provider Services organization has been led by an extremely strong group of executives. Three of those leaders, Andria Castellanos, Sue Caputo and Tony Dawson, have chosen to retire in the next few months. We have been extremely fortunate to have each of them in their respective roles.
Andria Castellanos, who has served as EVP, Chief of Provider Services since October 1, 2018, will be retiring February 1, 2024. Andria’s contributions to our organization are many, not the least of which was managing Provider Services through a global pandemic. Throughout her tenure here, Andria’s steady hand has been felt by us all, and her commitment to service is unparalleled. Post-pandemic, external market conditions have not made it easy for Home Care and Hospice, yet Andria has tirelessly worked to address the many challenges, including the national nursing shortage and changing reimbursement models. At the same time, she has effectively led the expansion of services we provide in Behavioral Health, Care Management and Personal Care, all in support of our mission.
Sue Caputo, who has served as SVP, Business Development since January 2016, will also be retiring this coming February. Sue’s highly regarded 32-year career in home care included two stints with VNS Health. From 2000–2005, she held a variety of Business Development roles and was integral in our acquisition of two former hospital CHHAs. Since rejoining VNS Health, Sue has secured VNS Health’s Home Care market share leadership throughout the five boroughs. During the pandemic, she successfully transitioned Intake to a remote model without jeopardizing our preferred provider position with our key accounts, while at the same time helping lead our vaccine clinic operations. Sue has also led her BD team, and therefore our payers, into case rate arrangements, which benefit all parties. In January 2020, when CMS made the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) the reimbursement model for Medicare, Sue seamlessly managed the shift with all our referral partners.
Tony Dawson, SVP and Chief Quality Officer, Provider Services, will be retiring December 31, 2023. Tony joined our organization in 2019, and at once established a robust and centralized Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement program for VNS Health. During COVID, he and his team developed clinical protocols for patient care and set up the CERT team. More recently, Tony partnered with Swift Medical to improve clinical outcomes for wound care patients by standardizing wound photography, improving the accuracy of wound measurements, and capturing comprehensive documentation. During Tony’s tenure, our Certified Home Health Agency (CHHA) was awarded 4.5 quality stars for the first time ever.
I hope you will all join me in wishing Andria, Sue and Tony the very best as they transition into the next phase of their lives.
These retirements will necessitate some organizational changes, and we are quite fortunate to have colleagues within VNS Health who are able to step into new roles and new opportunities.
Effective February 2, 2024, David Rosales will be assuming the role of EVP, Chief of Provider Services. David, currently our EVP, Chief Strategy Officer, first joined VNS Health in 2006 and left us — and returned — twice, once to attend graduate school and once to join the team at Manatt Health, advising health systems around the country on how to expand the reach of Medicaid services to care for vulnerable populations. In total, he has been at VNS Health for eleven years and is intimately familiar with the lines of business that comprise Provider Services. As a member of our executive leadership team since 2018, David has been involved in all aspects of our organization and has spearheaded several transformational initiatives to support the expansion of VNS Health’s mission. He is passionate about the game-changing impact our field clinicians have on the lives of our patients and clients every day. I am extremely confident in David’s leadership skills and am pleased he agreed to take on this new assignment.
As a result of David Rosales’ new role, David O’Malley, SVP, Strategy and Innovation, will assume the role of SVP, Strategy, reporting to Keith Patterson, EVP, Chief Financial Officer. The Strategy, Performance and Innovation (SPI) team will report to David O’Malley (“Davo”), as will Product Strategy, Cultural Market Development, and New Ventures & Strategic Partnerships.
Upon Sue’s retirement, Sandy Merlino, currently VP, Business Development, will lead the Business Development account management team. Sandy has been a business development leader at VNS Health for 25 years. In her tenure here, she has been involved in every part of the Home Care and Hospice business development process. Also, on November 6th, Jared Shure will assume the role of VP, Intake and Business Development Operations for Provider Services.
Catherine Schaefer, currently AVP, Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement, is being promoted to Vice President, effective January 1, 2024. Catherine will lead the Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement team for Provider Services.
Starting in February, Sandy, Catherine and Jared will all report into the Provider Services team led by David Rosales.
Each of these individuals has demonstrated they are ready to help lead VNS Health into the future. Without change, none of us would learn new skills, explore new opportunities, or exercise creativity in ways that ultimately benefit our organization. Please join me in congratulating each of them as they take on their new roles.
Sincerely,
Dan
Dan Savitt
President and Chief Executive Officer