For Immediate Release
July 21, 2022
Contact: Krista Hughes
205-478-9829
Businesswoman Krista Hughes Is The First Alabamian Appointed to Influential National Advisory Council in Health Care
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, July 21, 2022--Krista Hughes, BCPA, a board-certified patient advocate and founder & CEO of Passion 4 Patients, was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Beccera, to serve a three-year term on the National Advisory Council (NAC) for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). A resident of Birmingham, Ms. Hughes is the first Alabamian known to have ever served on the prestigious council that addresses the quality of care in the United States.
The council, which consists of 21 members from the private sector, including Ms. Hughes, and seven ex-officio members from other federal health agencies, provides advice to the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the director of the agency on federal research needed to improve the way health care is delivered.
"I truly believe that bringing the patient's voice to this important council will be instrumental in improving quality and patient safety across the country,” said Ms. Hughes, “I hear the patient voice every day, and I’ll bring that voice to Washington, so they hear it too! All patients should be treated equally with dignity, compassion, and respect—and given the highest quality care.”
Ms. Hughes’ clients, Bill and Jan Watts, congratulated Ms. Hughes on the appointment. “Krista’s knowledge, contacts, expertise, enthusiasm, and compassion are amazing. Our family believes in Krista and recommends her to advocate for anyone with a medical need.”
“It’s exciting to see one of Alabama’s leading business women given one of the most significant platforms a health care leader can have in Washington,” said Walter Crye President of the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce and Vice President of Greenhalgh Insurance, “She has made an enormous difference in the lives of so many Alabamians, now she can take it national. We are proud of her.”
As Founder and CEO of Hughes Advocacy, Ms. Hughes advocates for better health care for her clients in Alabama and elsewhere. She has over 25 years of experience working in the medical industry, where she equips, empowers, educates, and teaches patients how to get the best care they need and deserve.
Ms. Hughes also launched and leads Passion 4 Patients, the first and only platform in the US for employers that addresses the whole person throughout the continuum of care, from birth to death, saving money and lives.
Ms. Hughes has emerged as a national advocate for patients. In addition to the appointment to NAC, Ms. Hughes was selected to attend the Blue Button 2.0 Developers Conference at the White House, and she serves as ambassador and committed partner with the Patient Safety Movement Foundation. She is a US Champion of the international Patients for Patient Safety.
Ms. Hughes is a native of Gadsden, Alabama. She attended both the University of Alabama and Auburn University. She was a member of Chi Omega sorority while attending the University of Alabama. Ms. Hughes also served on the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce Board.
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