April 5, 2024
Rajeev Kumar, MD, CMD, FACP, AMDA’s 2024-2025 president, epitomizes a great volunteer leader. He has been active in the Society, as well as his state chapter, for over 15 years; and whenever his expertise is needed, he has happily obliged. He has been an accomplished leader and a team player serving on the Society’s many committees and the board. As president, he says, “It’s a huge honor and privilege to lead such a dedicated team of professionals from all disciplines. Our board and Society members represent the wonderful interdisciplinary team and the many important clinical services provided in post-acute and long-term care.”
The Society has accomplished much recently, from promoting transparency in PALTC to getting the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to agree to maintain a nursing home medical director registry and more. Elsewhere, during PALTC24 in San Antonio, TX, our House of Delegates voted unanimously to change the Society’s name to the Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association (PALTMed). “This new name is inclusive and representative of all clinicians working in PALTC. It truly reflects who we are, what we do, and what we stand for,” says Dr. Kumar.
Of course, there is still much to be done, and Dr. Kumar is already rolling up his sleeves and getting to work. Among his top priorities as president is promoting membership and marketing efforts. He says, “We want people to understand who we are and recognize our contributions to PALTC, and that needs to happen quickly. I am convening a task force to promote and market all that our society stands for.” This task force, comprised of business and financially savvy members, will strategize to find new ways to optimize the Society’s revenue streams and strengthen our financial health. Another goal for his presidency involves streamlining our Society’s governance and aligning our bylaws with “what the organization really means to our members, our mission and vision.”
Dr. Kumar will also be addressing some of the challenges facing practitioners in PALTC. For one, while the U.S. House of Representatives voted to reduce the 2024 Medicare physician pay cut, he thinks the reduction is still unacceptable. “While the cut may seem small, when you look at real dollars adjusted for inflation, we aren’t being paid a fair compensation for our work. We need to escalate our advocacy efforts on this issue. We need to make our voices heard,” he says. He stresses that fair pay in our underserved care settings will be essential to attracting medical directors and practitioners to PALTC, where significant careforce shortages already exist.
As attendees at PALTC24 witnessed, Dr. Kumar is not only committed to his profession; he is also a devoted family man. He brought his wife and children to the conference. “They’ve heard me talk about AMDA, and they enjoyed meeting my professional family and colleagues I’ve often talked about,” he says. “My work with the Society over the years has affected our social calendar, so I wanted them to see firsthand what this organization stands for and what it means to me personally. Everyone was very welcoming to them, and they were very impressed.”
Dr. Kumar knows from experience how challenging it can be to find time to volunteer when you already have a demanding schedule. Yet he has done it consistently. He says, “It’s about prioritizing what is important in life. I’ve been a physician and a leader in PALTC for nearly 30 years, and it’s important to give back to a profession that has meant the world to me; so, I find the time.” He also urges others to get involved. For example, he observes, “I see value in participation at all levels. Even though PALTC is generally federally regulated, there is much happening at the state level as well. We need grassroots advocacy and people who are engaged on the public policy scene everywhere. We can accomplish a lot together when we contribute our time and efforts.” He also encourages AMDA members to volunteer to serve on committees, submit proposals for annual conference sessions, and submit articles to Caring for the Ages and/or JAMDA.
Among his substantial volunteer activities, Dr. Kumar served as the president of the Illinois Medical Directors’ Association from 2011-2015 and currently serves on the board of the Illinois Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. He was chair of AMDA’s Membership Committee from 2016-2018 and facilitated the restructuring of membership tiers and benefits, as well as the initiation of Practice Group Network memberships. He currently serves on the Public Policy Committee and is one of our delegates to the American Medical Association. He served two terms as secretary on the Board of Directors and was elected vice president in 2022.
Dr. Kumar is a medical director for Optum at Home and leads teams of clinicians providing palliative care and chronic disease management to homebound seniors nationwide. He previously led the launch of Humana I-SNP in the north-central region. He also serves as the medical director for Plymouth Place and Burgess Square nursing facilities in suburban Chicago.
Watch this video of Dr. Kumar discussing his plans for his year as president.