- New @AmerGeriatics President Peter Hollmann promises to seize opportunity amid crisis to ensure the health, safety and independence of all Americans as we age #geriatrics http://ow.ly/j3lc50Fw7jw
New York (May 13, 2021)—As he dons the mantle of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) presidency, Peter Hollmann, MD, AGSF, wants his colleagues, older adults, and caregivers to know that he is committed to working with leaders and members of an organization representing more than 6,000 geriatrics healthcare professionals to improve the health, independence, and quality of life of all older people.
Dr. Hollmann assumes his responsibilities as the United States continues to fight a global pandemic that has claimed more than 500,000 American lives and to confront a history of systemic racism that is deeply embedded in the fabric of our nation. Facing these two crises, Dr. Hollmann, like all of his colleagues in geriatrics, has responded by working tirelessly to ensure older adults receive high-quality, person-centered care during the pandemic. Over the past year, he has continued to champion the improvement of payment for geriatrics health professionals, and he has been a strong voice for adequate payment for telehealth services; in particular, he has advocated for telehealth using audio-only devices to be paid for on par with video telehealth, given the needs of the patient population AGS members serve. In his capacity as an AGS leader, he has helped shape our response to the COVID-19 pandemic and is fully committed to achieving our future vision of healthcare that is free of discrimination and bias.
“Our solidarity with our colleagues, older adults, and with caregivers has never been stronger than it has in the past year, and now is the time to use our collective voice to call for long-lasting change in healthcare and society,” said Dr. Hollmann, an accomplished geriatrics clinician, medical administrator, educator, and payment expert. “Together, we can seize the opportunity this unique moment in time presents to ensure the health, safety, and independence of us all as we age.”
Dr. Hollmann is no stranger to seizing unforeseen opportunities when they arise. He recalls having found his beloved community of geriatrics health professionals—known for their commitment to championing interprofessional teams, eliciting personal care goals, and treating older people as whole persons—by chance.
“The full story is a long one, but the take-home is that when I found myself surrounded by geriatrics healthcare professionals as I began volunteering with the AGS, I appreciated the constant support and encouragement from all corners of the Society,” Dr. Hollmann said.
Over the course of four decades, Dr. Hollmann has worked as a physician in clinics and hospitals; served as a chief medical officer or medical director for multiple healthcare facilities and programs; taught medical students at the Brown University Warren Alpert School of Medicine; and sat on various American Medical Association (AMA) committees and boards dedicated to refining the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT), a set of medical codes that physicians, allied health professionals, hospitals, outpatient facilities, and laboratories use to report procedures and services to federal and private payers for their reimbursement. Dr. Hollmann currently serves as Chief Medical Officer at Brown Medicine, a non-profit, academic medical group with practices in the Providence area, and continues to practice medicine locally. In March, he became Vice Chair of the AMA’s Specialty Society RVS Update Committee (RUC), a volunteer group of 31 physicians from each sector of medicine that advises Medicare on valuing the work of clinicians who bill for their services on the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.
An AGS member since 1983, Dr. Hollmann has been instrumental in the Society’s efforts to promote payment policies that address the needs of Medicare beneficiaries, especially those with complex and chronic conditions. He has advised the AGS on the development of new CPT codes and represented its interests in various AMA positions. Dr. Hollmann also leads very popular workshops on the CPT coding for geriatric healthcare professionals at the AGS Annual Scientific Meeting.
Beyond his work on reimbursement for the Society, the new president has served as a member and chair of its Public Policy Committee, a member of its quality advisory group, and a member of the AGS board for more than eight years.
“I consider myself incredibly lucky to not have only found the field of geriatrics, but a supportive and encouraging professional home with the AGS,” Dr. Hollmann commented. “Like good geriatrics care, the AGS recognizes the value of teams and diverse expertise, and the importance of making the older adults we serve our number one priority. Over the past year, I have been collaborating with an incredible team of AGS colleagues on our important endeavor to eradicate discrimination in healthcare and research with an initial focus on the intersection of structural racism and ageism. I look forward to continuing to work alongside our outgoing AGS President and others. I know it will take all of us working together to achieve meaningful and lasting change.”
“In every way possible, Dr. Hollmann has demonstrated his outstanding commitment to this organization,” noted Annette (Annie) Medina-Walpole, MD, AGSF, outgoing president of the AGS. “Under new leadership, the AGS will continue using the challenges of the past year as a springboard toward a future in which we can all age with our health, safety and independence, free of discrimination and bias.”
As outgoing AGS president, Dr. Medina-Walpole becomes Chair of the AGS Board of Directors when Dr. Hollmann assumes his new post in May. In addition to a year-long tenure as AGS President—during which the Society successfully advocated for the prioritization of older adults in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and launched an initiative targeting the intersection of ageism and racism, which she is co-leading —Dr. Medina-Walpole brings to the AGS Board decades of experience as a clinician, educator, and advocate.
The slate of Board Officers who will join Drs. Medina-Walpole on the AGS Executive Committee include Mark Supiano, MD, AGSF, in his second term as Board Treasurer; Donna Fick, PhD, GCNS-BC, FGSA, FAAN, as Board Secretary; and G. Michael Harper, MD, AGSF, as AGS President-Elect.
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About the American Geriatrics Society
Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is a nationwide, not-for-profit society of geriatrics healthcare professionals that has—for more than 75 years—worked to improve the health, independence, and quality of life of older people. Its nearly 6,000 members include geriatricians, geriatric nurses, social workers, family practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, and internists. The Society provides leadership to healthcare professionals, policymakers, and the public by implementing and advocating for programs in patient care, research, professional and public education, and public policy. For more information, visit AmericanGeriatrics.org.