Established IT executive Mohammad Ali to join LHC Group as chief information officer

LAFAYETTE, La., Nov. 13, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LHC Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: LHCG) announced today that Mohammad Ali (“Ali”) will join the company, effective Dec. 2, 2019, as chief information officer (CIO).

Ali will oversee LHC Group’s information technology (IT) strategy and implementation in support of the company’s ongoing growth and mission to provide quality in-home healthcare for patients and partners in markets across the nation.

Ali has extensive experience as a leader, architect, and developer of international IT infrastructures for organizations in the healthcare, insurance, and technology sectors. He has designed and deployed strategies and solutions on a global scale while serving in leadership roles for organizations such as Cigna Inc., Anthem Inc., and IBM Corp.

“Ali’s impressive talents and experience will help our company confront and overcome today’s IT challenges, and help us build a cutting-edge infrastructure that will carry us forward and ensure our future success,” said Keith Myers, LHC Group chairman and CEO. “The in-home healthcare industry is increasingly dependent on technology and innovation, and our IT systems are vital to our ability to function properly and provide our patients and partners with the kind of service they deserve. With the addition of Ali to our team, we are re-affirming our commitment to embracing the expanding role of technology across our business.”

With an average daily census of approximately 100,000 patients, technology plays an important role in how LHC Group delivers efficient, effective care in the home. With increased utilization of telemedicine and other proprietary technology in its care models – including more telephonic teaching and training visits to patients at home – LHC Group plans to provide its clinicians with best practice benchmarks at the point of service, increasing the number of overall patient encounters while maintaining its industry-leading quality and satisfaction ratings.

Ali most recently served as CIO of international markets for Cigna, where he held global responsibility for 22 countries for a $6.5B business. He helped lead development of Cigna’s business and IT strategies with a focus on efficiency, cost-effectiveness, stability, security, and increased value.

Ali earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of the West of Scotland (Paisley College), and a master’s degree in computer science from Ball State University.

“I also want to recognize Bruce Greenstein – our chief strategy and innovation officer who enthusiastically stepped forward and helped fill the role as we conducted the national search that eventually led us to Ali; Raj Shetye – our chief analytics officer who is the best in the business at analyzing data to improve our decision making and overall effectiveness; JT Thompson – who is now applying his cyber experience as our chief information security officer; and our entire IT team.” Myers said. “Thanks to their leadership and the hard work and consistent effort from our IT team, our company remains a cutting-edge innovator and leader in navigating change as our industry moves forward.”

LHC Group is a national provider of in-home healthcare services. It is the preferred partner for 350 leading hospitals around the nation.

About LHC Group, Inc.
LHC Group, Inc. is a national provider of in-home healthcare services and innovations, providing quality, value-based healthcare to patients primarily within the comfort and privacy of their home or place of residence. LHC Group’s services cover a wide range of healthcare needs for patients and families dealing with illness, injury, or chronic conditions. The company’s 32,000 employees deliver home health, hospice, home and community based services, and facility-based care in 35 states and the District of Columbia – reaching 60 percent of the U.S. population aged 65 and older. LHC Group is the preferred in-home healthcare partner for 350 leading hospitals around the country. In 2019, the company was named to the inaugural Forbes list of “America’s Best-in-State Employers.”

Forward-looking Statements
Certain statements and information in this press release may be deemed to contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements relating to our objectives, plans and strategies, and all statements, other than statements of historical facts, that address activities, events or developments that we intend, expect, project, believe or anticipate will or may occur in the future. These statements are often characterized by terminology such as “believe”, “hope”, “may”, “anticipate”, “should”, “intend”, “plan”, “will”, “expect”, “estimate”, “project”, “positioned”, “strategy” and similar expressions, and are based on assumptions and assessments made by LHC Group’s management in light of their experience and their perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date hereof, and LHC Group undertakes no duty to update or revise any such statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results, developments, and business decisions to differ materially from forward-looking statements are described in LHC Group’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, including the sections entitled “Risk Factors”, as well LHC Group’s current reports on Form 8-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7a64c02f-f905-4c21-a995-c56955568a89