HFMA Recognizes Kevin Lofton for Contributions to Health Care

The Healthcare Financial Management Association presented its highest individual achievement award to Kevin E. Lofton, CEO of Catholic Health Initiatives, during HFMA’s annual conference today in Las Vegas.

The Richard L. Clarke Board of Directors Award was presented to Lofton in recognition of his extensive and far-reaching work in the area of healthcare disparities and his longtime, ongoing leadership in creating healthier communities.

“Kevin Lofton has dedicated his career to creating healthier communities, both locally and on a national scale,” said HFMA president and CEO Joseph J. Fifer, FHFMA, CPA. “His accomplishments serve as an inspiration to all of us.”

Lofton has led Catholic Health Initiatives since 2003, after serving as the system’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. During Lofton’s tenure as chair of the American Hospital Association in 2007, AHA convened a Special Advisory Group on Improving Hospital Care for Minorities and developed resources for increasing the diversity of hospital governing boards along with a Web-based toolkit to enable hospitals to collect race, ethnicity, and primary language data in a uniform way.

Lofton is a former member of the board of the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, which is dedicated to increasing the diversity of the health professional and scientific workforce and addressing the primary healthcare needs of people of color and underserved populations. Previously, he was named the 2006 National Diversity Healthcare Leader of the Year by the National Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Established in 1964, the Richard L. Clarke Board of Directors Award recognizes individuals who make significant, positive contributions to the profession of healthcare finance or the financing of healthcare services.

About Healthcare Financial Management Association
With more than 40,000 members, the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) is the nation's premier membership organization for healthcare finance leaders. HFMA builds and supports coalitions with other healthcare associations and industry groups to achieve consensus on solutions for the challenges the U.S. healthcare system faces today. Working with a broad cross-section of stakeholders, HFMA identifies gaps throughout the healthcare delivery system and bridges them through the establishment and sharing of knowledge and best practices. We help healthcare stakeholders achieve optimal results by creating and providing education, analysis, and practical tools and solutions. Our mission is to lead the financial management of health care. hfma.org

About Catholic Health Initiatives
Catholic Health Initiatives, a nonprofit, faith-based health system formed in 1996 through the consolidation of four Catholic health systems, expresses its mission each day by creating and nurturing healthy communities in the hundreds of sites across the nation where it provides care. One of the nation’s largest health systems, Englewood, Colo.-based CHI operates in 18 states and comprises 93 hospitals, including four academic medical centers and teaching hospitals and 24 critical-access facilities; community health-services organizations; accredited nursing colleges; home-health agencies; and other facilities that span the inpatient and outpatient continuum of care. In fiscal year 2013, CHI provided $762 million in charity care and community benefit, including services for the poor, free clinics, education and research. Learn more at catholichealthinitiatives.org