Tom is the Founder & CEO of NPHI, a passionate and innovative executive dedicated to advancing high-quality patient care and ensuring healthcare organizations are prepared to meet ongoing opportunities in the evolving healthcare landscape. With a career spanning several decades, Tom has emerged as a prominent leader on Medicare, elder care, advanced illness, and hospice care issues. He was honored with NPHI as one of the Fierce 50 of 2024 by Fierce Healthcare, and in 2023, as a top Innovator by Modern Healthcare, an honor granted to 25 individuals each year. These accolades acknowledge his role in fostering innovation and steering NPHI’s expansion to over 100 members.
Tom recently served as CEO of Capital Caring Health for more than five years, overseeing the delivery of advanced illness, hospice, and palliative care services. He currently holds the position of Chairman of the Board, providing ongoing strategic guidance and leadership. Additionally, Tom is a co-founder and co-chair of the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC), a consortium of over 200 organizations dedicated to developing person-centered care models for individuals with serious illnesses. He is also a co-founder and active leader of ACTNow for Mental Health, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to mental health services and addressing behavioral health stigma among young adults aged 17–32.
Early in his career, Tom played a pivotal role in creating and developing the Medicare Hospice Benefit, expanding chronic disease management through the Accountable Care Act, and advocating for the Medicare Advantage program’s expansion. His extensive experience, combined with his commitment to innovation and advocacy, positions him as a leading figure in advancing patient-centered care nationwide.
In addition to his role at NPHI, Tom founded and serves as President of Healthsperien, LLC, a nationally recognized healthcare policy consulting firm focused on federal and state regulatory and legislative policy analysis, advocacy, and implementation. Healthsperien’s mission is to accelerate responsible and sustainable healthcare system innovation and transformation to improve health outcomes for all, especially the most vulnerable.
Tom is also a member of the Roundtable on Quality Care for People with Serious Illness in the Health and Medicine Division of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, where he collaborates with experts to advance quality care for individuals with serious illnesses. Additionally, he serves as one of the leaders of the Project on Advanced Care at the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School.
Other notable accomplishments in Tom’s career include serving as Senior Vice President and Founding Executive Director of the Mintz Levin Center for Health Law & Policy, a division of the Mintz Levin law firm. He also held the position of Corporate Vice President at UnitedHealth Group, where he oversaw Public & Government Affairs and implemented the company’s inaugural Crisis Communications initiative. In this role, he managed federal and state government relations during the implementation of Medicare Part D, the passage of the Accountable Care Act, and the expansion of the Medicare Advantage program. Additionally, Tom served as Executive Vice President and Chief of Public Affairs at VITAS Healthcare Corporation and as Senior Advisor and Executive Assistant for Federal Affairs to former Indiana Governor (and later Senator) Evan Bayh. His expertise in health policy was further demonstrated through his work with the Health Practice Group at Hogan Lovells (formerly Hogan & Hartson), where he contributed to the development of the Medicare Hospice Benefit. Tom began his career in the United States Senate and later worked as an associate in public affairs for Burson-Marsteller.
Tom has received extensive recognition for his work. In 2023, he was featured in The Wall Street Journal in the article “Tom Koutsoumpas Wants to Ease the Ordeal of Dying,” which detailed his journey and contributions to hospice and advanced illness care. In 2022, he was named to the Modern Healthcare Top 300 Influential People in Healthcare list, recognizing leaders with a significant impact on the industry. Hospice News also highlighted his work at NPHI on numerous occasions.
Tom co-authored A Roadmap to Success: Transforming Advanced Illness Care in America and wrote the foreword to Having Your Own Say: Getting the Right Care When It Matters Most (2012), published by Gundersen Health System and the Center for Health Transformation.
Tom holds a B.A. in American Studies from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., attended Georgetown Law School, and serves on the Georgetown University Board of Regents.
“Every person deserves dignity, comfort, and compassion at life’s most vulnerable moments — that’s what motivates me in my role each and every day.”