Our Team - Capital Caring

Tom Koutsoumpas

President and CEO

Tom Koutsoumpas serves as President and CEO of Capital Caring Health, one of the largest not-for-profit hospice and advanced illness care providers in the nation. Capital Caring Health ( CCH ), under Tom’s leadership, is dedicated to delivering 24 by 7 care in the patient’s home for anyone of any age suffering from one or more advanced chronic illnesses including children. For those patients that require more intense care around the clock, CCH also operates four inpatient residential centers including the nation’s first inpatient center for hospice services that became operational in 1982. The dedicated staff at CCH serve patients and their caregivers in Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.

Tom also serves as President & CEO of the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation ( NPHI ). NPHI is a unique not- for- profit organization that includes as members 70 hospice/advanced illness care providers. Collectively NPHI members serve over 121,000 patients and families across America every day and annually provide over 40 million dollars in charity care. Their shared mission is that care must be delivered at the bedside and not dictated in the boardroom.

Earlier in Tom’s career he focused on making the hospice movement in America a reality by helping lead the effort to develop and implement the Medicare hospice benefit. His passion to improve care delivery also led him to be a co-founder of the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care ( C-TAC ). C-TAC is a national, non-profit non partisan alliance of patient and consumer advocacy groups, health care providers both public and private, and faith-based organizations, all with the shared mission of providing comprehensive world-class patient-centered advanced illness care especially for those who might otherwise not have access to the best available chronic illness management.

Other accomplishments include helping establish Healthsperien, a consulting and legal services firm focused on strategic issues that bring together the public and private sectors to advance hospice and advanced illness care. And, Tom is a member of the Roundtable on Quality Care for the seriously ill which is attached to the Medical Division of the National Academy of Sciences and is a contributor to the Project on Advanced Care at the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School.

Tom is a co-author of A Roadmap to Success: Transforming Advanced Illness Care in America. He also penned the foreword to the publication, Have Your Own Say: Getting the Right Care When It Matters Most ( 2012 ) by Gundersen Health System and the Center for Health Transformation.

A native of Indiana, Tom received his Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. where he has served as a Board of Regents member.

Steve Cone

Chief of Communications, Marketing, and Philanthropy

Steve Cone is Chief of Communications, Marketing, and Philanthropy at Capital Caring Health. In this role, he provides leadership to increase public and brand awareness of Capital Caring Health, and he also oversees the organization’s philanthropic activities and develops strategies to enhance the organization’s impact and reach.

Prior to his role with Capital Caring Health, Steve co-managed a data consulting and marketing services firm headquartered in New York. From 2015 to 2017, Steve was Chief Revenue Officer of the American Bar Association and from 2010 through June 2015, Steve was AARP’s Executive Vice President responsible for all membership activities and partnerships with corporations across America.

With more than 45 years of senior-level marketing and fundraising experience, he has created or led efforts to develop many national loyalty programs including United’s MileagePlus®, Hyatt’s Gold Passport, and Saks Fifth Avenue’s, SaksFirst rewards program.

Steve has provided marketing services to major organizations including Apple, American Express, FedEx, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, and the San Diego Zoo. Steve has also led marketing campaigns for environmental groups like The Nature Conservancy and the World Wildlife Fund. He has also provided marketing support to presidential campaigns for both major parties.

Laura Branker

Vice President of Philanthropy

Laura Branker is Vice President of Philanthropy at Capital Caring Health. A strategist who develops impactful outreach plans amplified with crisp messaging and strong collaboration with stakeholders and partners, Laura has built a career that crosses the private, public and nonprofit sectors, working for brands such as AARP, Wal-Mart, and UnitedHealth Group. Most recently, Laura designed and led global skills-based executive volunteer programs for multi-national corporations. She has held senior political appointments in Florida and District of Columbia governments. Laura graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Florida A&M University, and served two terms on the university’s Board of Trustees. As a delegate for the American Council of Young Political Leaders, she traveled as a United States representative to Venezuela and as the team lead to the Republic of Korea. She is an alumna of the Georgetown Leadership Seminar hosted by Georgetown University’s School of Diplomacy. Committed to volunteerism, Laura enjoys contributing her time and leadership to community and civic organizations. She is an avid supporter of cultural and performing arts.

Linda Biedrzycki

Vice President of Practice Management

Linda Biedrzycki, MHA, an innovative healthcare administrator with a proven track record in effectively managing physician practices, serves as Vice President of Practice Management at Capital Caring Health.

In this role, she is responsible for daily business operations of our new Primary Care at Home (PCH) service as well as CCH’s hospice and palliative care programs.

Prior to joining Capital Caring Health, Linda was the Administrative Director for Emergency Medicine at MedStar Medical Group. During her time at MedStar, she was responsible for operations of the emergency departments at MedStar’s Georgetown University Hospital and Southern Maryland Hospital Center. She led more than 50 clinicians who cared for nearly 85,000 lives per year.

Linda is a graduate of the University of Michigan where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience. She completed a master’s in Health Administration at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

She enjoys traveling, Crossfit, cooking, spending time with family, friends, and her German Shepherd.

Jason Parsons

Vice President of Public Affairs and Philanthropy

Jason Parsons is Vice President of Public Affairs and Philanthropy at Capital Caring Health. In addition to overseeing Capital Caring Health’s corporate and foundation relations and philanthropic partnerships, Parsons also leads various aspects of Capital Caring Health’s relationships with local, state, and federal elected leaders, business groups, advocacy organizations and other stakeholders to build support for Capital Caring Health’s mission.
Prior to joining Capital Caring Health, Jason served as Executive Director of Business for West Virginia where he advised the West Virginia Secretary of State. He also served as the Executive Director of Keep Prince William Beautiful, a not-for-profit serving Prince William County, Virginia, where he led the organization to record fundraising and new programs and initiatives.

Altonia Garrett

Vice President of Public Affairs and Strategic Partnerships

Altonia Garrett, MBA, MHA, RN, is Vice President of Public Affairs and Strategic Partnerships. She has worked at Capital Caring Health for more than a decade holding leadership roles including Clinical Supervisor, General Manager, and Executive Director for offices in Falls Church and Alexandria, Virginia and Prince George’s County, Maryland. As VP of Public Affairs and Strategic Partnerships, she leads organizational-wide initiatives to build, strengthen, and maintain relationships with key stakeholders that advance the work of Capital Caring Health. Altonia also works closely and collaborates with policy makers, elected leaders, and industry partners as well as oversees the organization’s relationship with local, state and federal legislative and executive branches in Richmond, Virginia; Annapolis, Maryland; and Washington, D.C.

On a national level, Altonia works with the National Partnership for Hospice Innovation as the Program Director for Innovation Lab. In this role, she supports all Innovation Lab activities, including the upcoming launch of the advanced disease specific programs and the ongoing development of other Innovation Lab programs.

Nancy Cook

Vice President, Marketing, Communications & Public Relations

Nancy Cook, MS, is Vice President of Marketing, Communications & Public Relations at Capital Caring Health. She has more than 30 years of experience in marketing, communications, and public relations, having held leadership positions in this capacity at Georgetown University Hospital, the American College of Radiology, Magellan Health, and Providence Hospital. She oversees all Marketing, Communications and PR initiatives for the organization and works in collaboration with team leads from all departments to ensure consistency in messaging and branding.

She has received numerous awards for her work in health care marketing and communications including an Addy Award from the American Advertising Federation, a national Telly Award, and more than 25 MarCom platinum and gold awards.

Nancy has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and Spanish Language and Literature from Syracuse University, and a Master of Science degree in Marketing Strategy and Business from Johns Hopkins University. She is a certified Project Manager and is an active participant in fundraising efforts on behalf of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the national philanthropy of Tri Delta sorority, for which she is an officer.

Kieran Shah

Chief Growth Officer

Kieran Shah, CHPCA, is Chief Growth Officer at Capital Caring Health. He is well known for his innovative approach to business development leading to enhanced patient access for both Hospice and Palliative Care. In this role, Kieran coordinates with all parties involved in providing hospice and advanced illness care including the medical community, community government and business leaders, insurers, service partners, patients and their families, and internal staff and volunteers.

As Chief Growth Officer, Kieran also works to elevate our mission, values, and care services to a wider population.

Kimberly Grove

Chief of Staff

Kimberly Grove is the Chief of Staff for Capital Caring Health. In this role, she works with the CEO and provides direct executive support, acts as a liaison, assists with managing strategic initiatives and oversees executive administrative operations.

Kimberly has 20-plus years of experience in healthcare and human resource management. She joined Capital Caring Health in October 2016 as a Recruitment Manager, and in March 2018, she was promoted to Director of Human Resources.

While serving as Director of Human Resources, Kimberly successfully led the hiring and recruitment team and worked to build relationships to expand the pipeline of job candidates to fit critical roles within the organization.

Eric De Jonge, M.D.

Chief of Geriatrics

Eric De Jonge, M.D., is one of the nation’s most renowned physicians specializing in geriatrics. As Chief of Geriatrics at Capital Caring Health, he is leading efforts to build an array of health services for elders with advanced illness, including Primary Care at Home (PHC), Social Services, and other needed senior health services.

Dr. De Jonge served as President of the American Academy of Home Care Medicine from 2017 to 2019. He also served as Executive Director of the MedStar House Call Program and Director of Geriatrics at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C.

He was named National House Call Physician of the Year by the AAHCM in 2003. In 2007, Dr. De Jonge helped develop and advocate for a Medicare reform law called Independence at Home (IAH) to advance the field of home care medicine and reduce Medicare costs. The IAH demonstration began in 2012 and Dr. De Jonge directed a successful IAH site at MedStar Health for seven years.

A native of Chicago, Dr. De Jonge graduated with honors from Stanford University and from the Yale School of Medicine. He trained in primary care internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview and completed fellowships in health policy at Georgetown and Geriatrics at Johns Hopkins. He is on the teaching faculty at Georgetown School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Medical Education

Yale University School of Medicine

Residency

Johns Hopkins Bayview – Internal Medicine

Fellowship

Johns Hopkins Bayview – Geriatrics

David Schwind

Chief Financial Officer

David Schwind serves as Chief Financial Officer for Capital Caring Health. David joined Capital Caring Health in 2005 and has 25-plus years of experience in the healthcare. Prior to joining Capital Caring Health, he served as the Senior Vice President for Reimbursement and Regulatory Affairs of an organization providing ancillary support services to long-term care facilities throughout the United States. He has held management positions in several of the largest teaching hospitals on the East Coast. David is an advanced member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association and is a past president of their Washington, D.C. Chapter. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland.

Vivian Hsia-Davis

Chief People Officer

Vivian Hsia-Davis, CHHR, is Chief People Officer at Capital Caring Health. Vivian’s background prior to joining Capital Caring in January 2018, includes extensive engagement in recruitment and retention, employee relations, employee communications, talent management, compensation, benefits, occupational health and wellness, and organizational development. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Masters Degree in General Administration. She also holds a certification in Healthcare Human Resources (CHHR).

In her role as Chief People Officer, Vivian has responsibility for Human Resources and Education, which includes talent acquisition, management and retention, compensation and benefits, regulatory compliance, policy development and staff development, training and education.

Gary Bacher

Chief of Strategy, Policy, & Legal Affairs

Gary Bacher, J.D., MPA, is Chief of Strategy, Policy, & Legal Affairs at Capital Caring Health. In this role, Gary directs efforts to determine how best to improve all aspects of advanced illness and hospice care throughout Capital Caring Health and on a national level.

Gary most recently served as Chief Strategy Officer at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation where he was responsible for directing the development of new models and initiatives to improve and refine value-based care. For more than a decade, he has led efforts in health care improvement, operating at the intersection of public policy, law, regulatory affairs and business development. Gary is widely recognized as a national expert on a broad range of health plans, encompassing providers, employers, state-based exchanges and government organizations. He has also served as a policy and legal advisor on issues including fraud and abuse, antitrust, HIPAA, government payment systems, and FDA rules and regulations.

Gary also served on active military duty from 1996-2000, as Assistant to the Army General Counsel and during that period assisted at the White House Counsel’s Office. He holds a JD from Stanford Law School, an MPA from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, and a BA from Georgetown University.

Cameron Muir, M.D.

Chief Innovation Officer

Cameron Muir, M.D., FAAHPM, is Capital Caring Health’s Chief Innovation Officer. In this role, Dr. Muir is responsible for identifying and implementing new business initiatives based on emerging innovative models designed to care for people with advanced illness. Prior to his work with Capital Caring Health, Dr. Muir was Medical Director of the Palliative Care and Home Hospice Program of Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He served as the Director of the Palliative Care Program of the Northwestern University Medical School. Dr. Muir is Board-Certified in Hospice and Palliative Medicine and Internal Medicine. He received his medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, completed his residency in internal medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, and earned fellowships in bioethics at the University of Chicago Medical Center and in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Susan Boris

Chief of Clinical Operations

Susan Boris, RN, BSN, has 30-plus years of nursing and health care leadership experience. Susan has served in the executive director role for Capital Caring Health offices in Loudoun and western Fairfax counties and she was also the executive director for Prince William and Fauquier counties from 2014 to 2016. Susan has also worked as clinical operations manager, clinical supervisor and RN case manager during her time with Capital Caring Health.

Susan has a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing and more than 30 years of nursing and leadership experience in the adult and pediatric clinical settings with a focus on end-of-life, hospice and palliative care.

Keith Everett

Chief Officer for Performance, Compliance, and Cultural Operations

Keith Everett, MBA, MHA, ACHE, is the Chief Officer for Performance, Compliance, and Cultural Operations at Capital Caring Health. He holds Master of Science in Business and Healthcare Administration from South University. Keith is certified in Lean Six Sigma and Public Health Quality and he serves on the Board of Examiners for the 2020 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The board is composed of more than 300 leading experts competitively selected from industry, professional, trade, education, health care, and nonprofit (including government) organizations from across the United States.

Prior to joining Capital Caring Health, Keith served as Vice President of Quality and Systems Improvement for the American Heart Association, Mid Atlantic Affiliate. During his time with the AHA, he managed the regional operations and implementation of the association’s quality agenda to support the achievement of its Strategic Plan for 350+ hospitals from South Carolina to Maryland. Keith is a member of several organizations including: the American College of Healthcare Executives, National Association for Healthcare Quality, American Society of Quality and the American Heart Association.

Matt Kestenbaum

Chief Medical Officer

Matthew Kestenbaum, M.D. is Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Kestenbaum has been with Capital Caring Health since 2006 and is well known in the industry as an expert in hospice and palliative care. Among his many accomplishments and successes include his leadership with the Virginia POST (Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment) and work with CMS. Prior to joining Capital Caring, Dr. Kestenbaum served as hospice medical director for 10-plus years.