The National Association of Travel Healthcare Organizations Appoints New Directors

Ryan Anholt, President of NATHO (National Association of Travel Healthcare Organizations), has recently announced its 2022 appointments to its Board of Directors. This year, there were open positions for directors, and after a comprehensive vetting and voting process, the current board decided who would be best qualified to fill those seats. The Board of Directors is pleased to welcome the new board members and looks forward to working with them to promote the needs of the travel healthcare industry in the months ahead.

Along with NATHO’s officers and staff, members of the board are tasked with overseeing the management and activities of the National Association of Travel Healthcare Organizations and participating in regular meetings that are instrumental to supporting the travel nursing and allied healthcare sector. In addition, board activities include maintaining financial oversight, membership recruiting and outreach, ensuring that NATHO’s rigorous standards for care and staffing are upheld, and engaging in legislative advocacy promoting changes necessary to the survival of NATHO members and the travel healthcare field.

Why is NATHO Membership Important for Coast Medical Service?

“Coast Medical Service has been a family-owned, independent business for over 40 years,” says Kadar. “Since I became CEO and President a decade ago, Coast has worked hard to embrace innovation and changes within the healthcare staffing industry.” Kadar credits the entrepreneurial spirit of Coast’s corporate staff and the commitment of the nursing and healthcare professionals that consider Coast their home for the success and growth the firm has encountered in recent years. “Because Coast is independently owned, we don’t have to answer to stockholders or some monolithic global corporation. As a result, we’re able to distribute our profits and earnings to the people who work for Coast every day, and that results in industry high earnings for the front-line healthcare workers who are trying to keep America healthy.” In addition to updating the technology and communication systems needed to scale Coast beyond its original Southern California footprint, Kadar also sought to obtain Joint Commission Certification for Coast, the gold seal for healthcare staffing firms nationwide. “Completing the work necessary for certification was the first step in becoming a member of NATHO, and once our membership was approved, I knew we were in the position to go further.” With Kadar’s appointment to the Board of Directors, he’ll play a key role in helping to steer the travel nursing industry. “The last two years with COVID-19 have been unlike anything the healthcare staffing industry has seen before. However, there have been opportunities to embrace such as telemedicine and hiring staff that work remotely. Now’s the time to implement these systems so we can move full steam ahead once the pandemic is over.”

What Are the Requirements for NATHO Membership?

To become a member of The National Association of Travel Healthcare Organizations, the staffing firm must provide proof of insurance, including, at a minimum, professional liability, general liability, and workers’ compensation. In addition, each NATHO member is required to attain and maintain Joint Commission Certification. The Joint Commission certification evaluates clinical programs and practices to ensure a commitment to compliance and quality.

What Makes a NATHO-Member Travel Nursing Firm the Superior Choice?

The National Association of Travel Healthcare Organizations requires all of its members to follow the NATHO Code of Ethics which addresses relationships between clients, physicians and healthcare providers, and other travel nursing and healthcare staffing companies. Members charged with violation of the code of ethics are subjected to a hearing and, if necessary, reprimands, sanctions, and termination of membership.

In addition, NATHO provides all members access to non-binding arbitration, which acts to settle disputes between travel healthcare staffing companies regarding jurisdiction and compensation.

NATHO’s Industry-Focused Advocacy Work

The National Association of Travel Healthcare Organizations represents its members and the travel healthcare sector by routinely funding and engaging in direct advocacy work for healthcare legislation and certifications. Current work involves representing NATHO membership pertaining to the Fair Labor Standards Act and specific IRS regulations.

Additionally, NATHO advocates for national licensure as a legislative priority for the healthcare staffing industry. Even before COVID-19 swept through the United States, the nursing shortage has been a prevalent issue and robs individuals throughout the country of quality care. Establishing national licensure standards would allow the travel healthcare industry, and those professionals who earn their living this way, greater ease and opportunity to work throughout the nation. Currently, all health care and nursing professionals must maintain individual licenses in the state or states where they deliver services. This requirement is costly, cumbersome, and creates hardship in healthcare staffing during an emergency or natural disaster. A national licensure program would allow more significant movement of qualified nursing professionals throughout the country.

Currently, the National Association of Travel Healthcare Organizations has been actively advocating the federal government for the passage of The Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act. This essential legislation would allow health care professionals with a valid practitioners’ license in good standing to deliver needed services – such as telehealth – throughout the US to address staffing shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the TREAT Act isn’t as comprehensive as National Licensure, it does provide temporary state reciprocity for all licensed practitioners, including those in the mental health field.

About NATHO

The National Association of Travel Healthcare Organizations was founded in 2008 as a non-profit association dedicated to the needs of the travel healthcare sector. NATHO promotes conduct and care gold standards for the industry, provides guidance for ethical business practices, offers educational and professional development opportunities, and maintains an active role in advocating for travel healthcare professionals and the staffing firms that work with them.

To learn more about NATHO membership, visit their website.

Join the Coast Family!

If you’re interested in exploring corporate positions or travel nursing opportunities at Coast, contact us! We’ll help you put your talents and skills to work while traveling the country.