Tom Price, MD, who resigned in September as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has been named to the advisory board of an Atlanta-based staffing firm.
Dr. Price, a former orthopedic surgeon and congressman, stepped down from his high-profile post as head of the HHS after only eight months on the job after a Politico investigation revealed his misuse of nearly $1 million in taxpayer money for private chartered flights and military jets for his government travel.
President Donald Trump has tapped former pharmaceutical executive Alex Azar to replace Price.
Richard L. Jackson, chairman and CEO of Jackson Healthcare, said in an announcement Jan. 16 that Dr. Price will be an invaluable addition to the company’s advisory board.
“Nobody has as profound an understanding of the national healthcare landscape as Dr. Price,” said Jackson. “Tom has exhibited an unwavering commitment to preserving the patient-physician relationship.”
That commitment, along with his physician, business and policy experience, are just a few of the reasons Jackson Healthcare wanted him to serve on the board. Dr. Price, the announcement said, is known for his strong work ethic and has spent his career working to ensure care for patients.
Jackson Healthcare, the third-largest U.S. healthcare staffing firm by revenue, is comprised of highly specialized healthcare staffing and technology companies which help approximately 1,300 healthcare facilities serve more than 7 million patients annually. It is the 17th largest private company in Atlanta, with nearly $1 billion in revenue.
“I am honored to join the advisory board at Jackson Healthcare,” Price said in the announcement. “Jackson Healthcare’s mission of working to improve patient care is wholly aligned with the work I have done for over four decades, and I look forward to helping them navigate the always changing healthcare environment.”
Dr. Price received both his bachelor’s and medical degrees from the University of Michigan and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Emory University. He entered private practice in 1984 and was one of the founders of Resurgens Orthopaedics in Georgia. He later served as medical director of the orthopedic clinic at Grady Memorial Hospital, where he oversaw the training of resident doctors.
After an eight-year term on the Georgia senate, Dr. Price was elected to Congress in 2004 and served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2005 to 2017. VTN
