AHCA/NCAL: A Message from Mark Parkinson

I am writing today to share the news that I will retire at the end of this year.

This hasn’t been an easy decision. I love this job. I love our mission. I love the work each of you do. And I’ve loved the opportunity to represent you in Washington, D.C. for the last 13 years. I’m confident this is the right decision. It’s been a great run, but I believe this is the right time for me and the right time for the organization.

My overwhelming emotion is gratitude. I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity you’ve given me. I started this job on the heels of serving as Kansas Governor. Being a Governor is a pretty nice job, and it’s not an easy job to leave. When I left Kansas, I was excited about the opportunity to come to D.C. and run the Association, but I assumed my best days were behind me. I was wrong.

These have been the most important and rewarding years of my professional life. Together, we unified the profession to have one, powerful voice in D.C. Together, we developed the Quality Initiative and improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of residents. Together, we navigated through multiple administrations and Congresses. And together, we survived the pandemic, and you saved thousands of lives with your heroism. Together, we achieved a lot.

When I leave this role, we will continue to achieve the seemingly impossible. The AHCA Board has developed a process to find our next leader, and I’m confident they will find the right person. It will be different, but it will work. I’m sure of it. I’ve also agreed to serve the next leader as a consultant in any capacity they find helpful.

In the meantime, we have a lot to achieve this year. I won’t be dialing it in. Instead, I’ll continue to work hard every single day to achieve our objectives. I will not rest until we achieve all our goals. Those include a Medicare increase for the 13th year in a row, continued growth of our networks, ongoing work with the Group Purchasing Organization, and growth of the National Quality Award Program. We will also continue our work to fight the minimum staffing proposed rule.

I would also appreciate as little attention on me as possible. I’m not interested in a victory tour.  Let’s make this year about winning and winning in the future. The most exciting times in the history of the profession are yet to come.

Thanks so much for everything.

Best,

Mark Parkinson
President & CEO, AHCA/NCAL