Nationally Known Geriatrician, Eric De Jonge, MD, Joins Capital Caring

Falls Church, August 8, 2019—Eric De Jonge, M.D., one of the nation’s most renowned physicians specializing in elder care, has joined Capital Caring in the newly created position of Chief of Geriatrics. In his new role, Dr. De Jonge will build a model program devoted to the unique needs of elders wishing to age in place by offering Home-Based Primary Care, social support, and other vital senior health services.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have someone of Dr. De Jonge’s caliber join us to launch these important new programs,” says Tom Koutsoumpas, Interim President and CEO, Capital Caring—one of the largest and most experienced nonprofit providers of hospice care, palliative care and grief counseling services in the nation. “With Dr. De Jonge on board, we’ll transform our ability to care for an expanding and changing community.”

According to a national study, approximately 2 million seniors nationwide need help with primary care, social services and support. Yet only about 10 percent actually receive those benefits. Under Dr. De Jonge’s leadership, Capital Caring hopes to reduce that disparity by reaching elders who are not yet eligible for hospice but need additional care and services to help them age in place. Many are often dealing with multiple, chronic conditions.

For Dr. De Jonge, it’s a mission: “With one-stop, state-of-the-art-care at home, we’ll offer convenience, comfort, safety and dignity for seniors, and peace of mind for their families.”

While focusing on Capital Caring’s service areas of Virginia, Washington., D.C., and suburban Maryland, Dr. De Jonge and Koutsoumpas hope to develop a program that can serve as a national model of care.

Before joining Capital Caring, Dr. De Jonge served as Executive Director of the MedStar House Call Program and Director of Geriatrics at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. He is currently President of the American Academy of Home Care Medicine (AAHCM) and Co-Chair of the AAHCM Public Policy Committee.

Dr. De Jonge was named National House Call Physician of the Year by the AAHCM in 2003. In 2007, he 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. He directed a successful IAH program at MedStar Health for seven years following the start of the Medicare demonstration in 2012.

A native of Chicago, Illinois, 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.

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Editor’s Note:  Both Eric De Jonge, MD, and Tom Koutsoumpas are available for interviews. Contact Nancy Cook, Vice President, Marketing & Communications at ncook@capitalcaring.org.  

About Capital Caring: Capital Caring’s mission is to provide the highest quality advanced illness care with dignity, respect and compassion. Since our founding in 1977, we have grown into one of the largest and most experienced nonprofit providers of hospice care, palliative care and bereavement counseling services in the nation. In 2017 alone, we served nearly 7,000 hospice patients and provided more than $3 million in charity care to those who had nowhere else to turn.

Capital Caring serves families and patients throughout Northern Virginia, as well as Prince George’s County, Maryland, and DC.