Hospice of the Chesapeake appoints new Chief Medical Officer

Hospice of the Chesapeake has appointed Dr. Eric G. Bush, MD, RPh, MBA, as its Chief Medical Officer, effective Sept. 12. Dr. Bush, a board certified hospice and palliative care physician, will oversee all aspects of medical practice for the nonprofit’s hospice and palliative care patients as well as provide physician leadership for the Rebecca Fortney Inpatient Care Center which opened in December 2015.

Bush has a vast resume that will serve the Pasadena-based nonprofit on several levels. Veterans will appreciate that he served in the Army Reserves as a licensed practical nurse from 1988 to 1994 while earning his pharmacy degree. He then worked as a pharmacist while earning his MBA as well as while he was in medical school. His most recent post was Medical Director of both Hospice of Frederick County and Pain and Palliative Care Service at Frederick Memorial Hospital, a position he held since May 2010.

Hospice of the Chesapeake’s Chief Operating Officer Melody Stried said this diversity is an important tool in serving the nonprofit’s mission of caring for life throughout the journey with illness and loss. “His eclectic experience gives him the unique ability to support not only the physicians, but to look at the entire interdisciplinary group and understand their unique perspectives,” she said.

“I think he is a great addition to our executive and senior leadership teams in terms of his leadership style,” CEO Ben Marcantonio said. “He is very collaborative, and offers a sound balance between clinical and business practices.” Marcantonio also pointed out that finding someone of Bush’s caliber in the state of Maryland was a major coup. “That Dr. Bush is from Maryland and understands the big picture of healthcare in this state is a tremendous asset for us.” Marcantonio said.

A lifelong learner and achiever, Bush received his training in internal medicine from SUNY at Buffalo, where he also earned his Master of Business Administration in Health Services Administration and Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy. He completed a fellowship in hospice and palliative medicine at the National Institutes of Health, and is board certified in internal medicine, hospice and palliative medicine and addiction medicine.

Bush sees the need to touch patients sooner as an important shared objective with the nonprofit’s leadership. “Not only do we want patients to receive the entire hospice benefit available to them, we want people who need palliative care to be able to experience the pain and symptom management early in their diagnosis,” Bush said.

Under his leadership, Hospice of Frederick was one of only two hospice organizations in the country to receive the 2015 Circle of Life Award, Citation of Honor: Celebrating Innovation in Palliative and End-of-Life Care. The award was bestowed on the organization after a site visit and assessment by the American Hospital Association and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

“His vast experience will provide a great partnership as we seek to become thought leaders in hospice, palliative and bereavement care while continuing to support patients and families through their end of life journey,” Stried said. “We know he will be a huge asset to the people of Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties.”

Dr. Bush shares his family and faith are both important to him, his wife Marianne, who is also a physician, and their three children.

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Caring for life throughout the journey with illness and loss is the mission of Hospice of the Chesapeake. For more information, please visit www.hospicechesapeake.org.