John Derr, R.Ph., Named Chief Information Officer for Golden Living

FORT SMITH, Ark.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Golden Living announced that it has named John Derr Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. Golden Living is one of the largest providers of senior healthcare services in the country.

“John’s extensive background and knowledge of long-term care will enable us to make significant advancements in developing and implementing our information technology strategy.”

Derr comes to Golden Living with more than 40 years of healthcare experience, with specialized background in technology and long-term care. He has held senior marketing, product development, and management positions at major healthcare companies including Squibb, Searle, Siemens, MediSpan, Kyocera, and National Medical Enterprises.

“The use of technology to increase efficiency, improve accuracy and enhance the quality of care we provide to our residents and patients is a primary objective of Golden Living,” said Rick Skelly, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and member of the Golden Living Office of the President. “John’s extensive background and knowledge of long-term care will enable us to make significant advancements in developing and implementing our information technology strategy.”

Before joining Golden Living, Derr was Executive Director of the Foundation for the Advancement of Care for the Elderly (FACE) in Washington, DC. Previously, he was Executive Vice President of the American Health Care Association (AHCA)/National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL), which represents the majority of nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the United States.

Derr was the chairman of the Long-Term Living Work Group, which was established under ex-speaker of the House Newt Gingrich’s Center for Health Transformation, to provide the Secretary of Health and Human Services a report from the long-term care stakeholders on the electronic health record information technology initiative. He helped form the LTC Information Technology Summit, the AHCA Information Technology Committee, and the National Association for the Support of Long-Term Care (NASL) Information Technology Committee.

In 2005, Derr was appointed by the Secretary of Veteran Affairs to the Geriatric and Gerontology Advisory Committee. He is on the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee for the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists Foundation and on his third term on the Dean’s Professional Advisory Board at Purdue School of Pharmacy where he is also a recipient of the 2006 Distinguished Alumnus Award.

A graduate of the Purdue University School of Pharmacy, Derr also holds an Executive Certificate from the Indiana University Graduate School of Business. He received the NASL Tony Way Award for outstanding service in the support of long-term care in 2003.

Derr is a frequent speaker on technology topics at industry forums. He has written numerous articles on technology issues in long-term care and also is a published novelist.

About Golden Living (www.goldenliving.com)

The Golden Living family of companies provides care and services that directly or indirectly serve the elderly and disabled, including companies that operate nursing homes and provide rehabilitation therapy, hospice care, home health services and temporary staffing services. There are 331 Golden LivingCenters (skilled nursing facilities) and 18 Golden Living Communities (assisted living facilities) in 22 states. Golden Innovations companies are leading providers of integrated senior healthcare services, partnering with more than 1,000 nursing homes, hospitals and other healthcare organizations in 46 states. Golden Innovations companies include Aegis Therapies, AseraCare Hospice and Home Health, Aedon Staffing, Ceres Purchasing Solutions, and Vizia Healthcare Design Group. Collectively, the Golden Living family of companies have nearly 40,000 employees.