COMPASSUS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer
- Executive Vice President
- Member of the Compassus Executive Team
- Executive Team
- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and President, East
Andy Pate is Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and President, East at Compassus. Andy oversees the operational strategy and execution for all service lines, including hospice, home health, palliative care and infusion therapy across the Eastern region. In this role, Andy is responsible for driving operational efficiency, business development, quality, patient experience and employee satisfaction to deliver improvements that positively impact patients and the organization.
Before joining Compassus, Andy was President of Fresenius Kidney Care, leading an $11B organization across 49 states, where he improved financial and operational performance through cost-saving initiatives and enhanced workforce productivity. Prior to Fresenius, he held senior leadership roles at GE Healthcare, driving revenue growth and operational excellence and served as a Major in the U.S. Army Medical Services Corps, leading complex projects and team development.
Andy earned his MBA from Louisiana State University, a Master's in Environmental Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelor's in Civil Engineering from Tennessee Technological University. He also completed executive leadership training at Harvard University. A dedicated mentor and advocate for employee development, Andy is committed to fostering a culture of inclusion, excellence and innovation at Compassus.
Job Titles:
- Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer
- Senior Vice President
Carrie Uebel is senior vice president and chief ethics and compliance officer at Compassus. Uebel leads all compliance and ethics functions of the organization.
Before joining Compassus in 2015, Uebel was the compliance officer for American HomePatient for six years. Her other professional experiences included working as a legal assistant with the United States Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Missouri and as an associate at Marsh Risk Consulting in Nashville, Tennessee.
Uebel earned an undergraduate degree from Trinity University and a law degree from Saint Louis University School of Law. She also holds a Health Care Compliance Certificate from the Health Care Compliance Association. Uebel is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) and the American Health Law Association (AHLA).
Job Titles:
- Chief Development Officer
- Senior Vice President
David DeGumbia is senior vice president and chief development officer at Compassus. DeGumbia leads all de novo, merger, acquisition, and joint venture development.
Before joining Compassus in 2022, DeGumbia served as the chief development and growth officer for Select Medical, where he was responsible for leading strategic growth initiatives across the organization's outpatient rehabilitation division. Additionally, he served in a variety of executive roles as an operator with Select Medical, including division president and senior vice president, and served as vice president of operations for Healthsouth Corporation (now Encompass Health).
DeGumbia earned undergraduate degrees from the University of Connecticut and Whittier College.
Job Titles:
- Chief Growth Officer
- Senior Vice President
- Executive Team
Jeff Marsh is senior vice president and chief growth officer at Compassus. Marsh leads the company's organic and inorganic growth initiatives across the enterprise through product
innovation, development and marketing and communications. In addition, he oversees the productivity of the company's care consultant program, which is a conduit to referral partners, medical directors and healthcare providers.
Before joining Compassus in 2017, Marsh held multiple roles with Healthways, Inc., which improves health and well-being for employers, government programs, health systems and health plans. He has nearly two decades of healthcare experience specializing in population health management programming, spanning from workplace wellness to home-based care.
Marsh earned an undergraduate degree in science and nursing from the University of Toledo. He also serves on the Moving Health Home (MHH) coalition.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Executive Vice President
- Member of the Compassus Executive Team
- Executive Team
John Cullen is the executive vice president and chief financial officer at Compassus, bringing over two decades of healthcare leadership to oversee the company's financial operations and strategies.
Prior to joining Compassus in 2023, Cullen served as Corporate Vice President of Corporate Development at Scripps Health, leading significant growth and merger initiatives. His extensive background includes transformative leadership roles in the home health and hospice sector, driving enhancements in clinical quality, compliance and operational efficiencies, significantly improving financial performance.
Cullen earned his MBA in Finance and Management from Tulane University and a Bachelor of Science in Health Administration from the University of Scranton. His strategic financial acumen and proven track record make him a critical asset to Compassus as it continues to expand its footprint in home-based care.
Job Titles:
- Chief Marketing Officer
- Senior Vice President
- Executive Team
Kathy Winn is senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Compassus. Winn oversees all marketing, communications, brand, and development of strategies to support growth and operations utilizing a data driven approach to supporting the organization's integrated home-based care services.
Before joining Compassus in 2022, Winn served as the vice president of strategic marketing at LifePoint Health for more than seven years. Winn is a strategic, analytical, and growth-oriented creative marketing and communications leader with more than 25 years of strategic marketing and communications experience and more than 15 years in healthcare marketing at national organizations, including LifePoint Health, HCA Healthcare, and Humana.
Winn earned an undergraduate degree from Southeast Missouri State University and an MBA from Western Governor's University. She is a fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), and serves on the board of several community and industry boards and committees.
Job Titles:
- Chief Medical Officer
- Senior Vice President
- Physician Spotlight
Kurt Merkelz, M.D., is senior vice president and chief medical officer at Compassus. Dr. Merkelz leads the company's quality and clinical initiatives, ensuring the delivery of quality patient outcomes and increased access to end-of-life care across the communities Compassus serves.
Dr. Merkelz has held this role since 2017. Previously, he served as medical director for the Compassus program serving Houston. Throughout his career, he has focused on caring for older adults. His perseverance in raising industry benchmarks for quality hospice care earned him the Compassus R. Sean Morrison, M.D., Award for Outstanding Achievement in Hospice Physician Leadership in 2012, and his work in standardized care delivery garnered Compassus national recognition by the National Quality Forum in 2020.
Dr. Merkelz earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center and completed residencies in family medicine and geriatric medicine at the University of Cincinnati. Merkelz is triple-board certified in hospice and palliative care medicine, family practice, and geriatrics. He also serves on several national organization committees, including the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM), the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (AMDA), and the National Quality Forum (NQF).
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer
- Executive Vice President
- Member of the Compassus Executive Team
- President
- Executive Team
- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and President, West
Laura Templeton is executive vice president and chief operating officer and president, west at Compassus. Templeton leads the operations of all service lines, including home health, infusion therapy, hospice, and palliative care across the Western region.
Before joining Compassus in 2012, Templeton worked at various health centers near Jefferson City, Missouri, most recently serving as the director of maternal child health, ICU, telemetry, and cardiac short stay at St. Joseph Hospital West in Lake Saint Louis, Missouri. At Compassus, she has held many roles, including chief clinical operations officer, hospice division president, managing clinical director, executive director, director of operations, and regional vice president of operations. Her natural leadership skills and operational experience, combined with her nursing background, drive excellence across the enterprise to benefit patients and families.
Templeton earned an undergraduate degree in nursing from Central Methodist University and an MBA in health care from William Woods University. She also serves on several national organization committees, including the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC), the Home Care and Hospice Financial Manager Association (HHFMA), and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO).
SAVANNAH, Ga. - Meghan Ortiz, hospice care consultant for the Compassus program serving Savannah, Georgia, and the surrounding areas, was honored for her outstanding performance…
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Compassus Executive Team
- Executive Team
Michael J. Asselta is chief executive officer at Compassus. As CEO, Asselta is responsible for providing strategic oversight and steering one of the nation's leading providers of home-based care services including home health, infusion therapy, palliative and hospice care.
Asselta is passionate about the mission of health care and driven to develop and execute strategies that improve patient lives. Before joining Compassus, Asselta spent nearly eight years at Fresenius Medical Care North America, a premier provider of renal care, where he most recently served as chief operating officer, U.S. care and delivery and president, kidney care. His experience includes leadership and C-suite roles with leading public and private health care companies, focusing on expanding access to care services.
Asselta earned an undergraduate degree from MidAmerica Nazarene University and an MBA from Baker University, and holds certifications in leadership and information assurance from Harvard Business School and Stanford University.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President
- Executive Team
- Senior Vice President, Strategic Execution
Nick Gordon is senior vice president of strategic execution at Compassus. Gordan shapes and implements strategic plans while moving key initiatives forward with thoughtful precision, focusing on Compassus' joint venture strategy with health systems.
Previously, Gordon was a Principal in Boston Consulting Group's Atlanta office, where he led project teams across multiple consumer-facing industries including health care, aviation and retail. Early in his career, he led the operations of a successful beverage start-up and helped build CARE for AIDS, Inc., a non-governmental organization that operated HIV care centers throughout East Africa. Gordon joined Compassus in 2020 as the company's first Vice President of Strategic Execution, working to ensure Compassus' operations align with our industry-leading integrated home-based care strategy.
Gordon earned an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from Vanderbilt's Owen Graduate School of Management.
Becky has served in the non-profit sector for over 22 years. Starting as a Hospice Volunteer Coordinator, one of Becky's many responsibilities was to match volunteers with hospice patients in need. This involved looking at personalities and interests on both sides. Over time, this led Becky to finding a new passion and desire and from there, as Executive Director of Hospice Angels, she led the Foundation to its success. In upholding the mission of Hospice Angels Foundation, Becky works primarily with Social Workers in assisting patients and their families who are in financial distress situations. Helping patients live their final days with dignity and quality of life, is her daily goal. Becky is proud to work with such a great Foundation that positively impacts the lives of those in need.
Russ Adkins - Chief Legal Officer, SVP
Job Titles:
- Chief Legal Officer
- Member of the Compassus Executive Team
- Senior Vice President
Tanisha Roberts receives national recognition for delivery of superior hospice care during National Nursing Assistants Week SAVANNAH, Ga. - The Compassus program serving Savannah and…