John E. Gallagher is vice president of Government Relations for The VGM Group, Inc. in Waterloo, Iowa, the largest organization representing independent durable medical equipment providers. In his position, John oversees key government and regulatory affairs that pertain to the durable medical equipment (DME) industry. As a veteran of the home medical products industry, Gallagher has amassed thousands of miles, traveling across the country to educate both the state associations and independent providers on regulatory and government issues. Additionally, John has been conducive in working with independent providers and state associations to promote the DME industry, while advocating for beneficiaries’ access to quality care. John has also worked tenaciously to promote upstanding service within the home medical equipment industry. In 2005, Gallagher was elected to join the Healthcare Quality Association for Accreditation (HQAA), serving as the president of the board from 2005-2007. As a board member, John has worked closely with the association to create quality standards for accrediting DME providers to ensure that they meet the high standards of the industry. In 2008, John became a board member of the Fraud Eradication Advisory Team (FEAT), a unique advisory council that is comprised of industry leaders who have shown a commitment to eliminating fraud, waste and abuse in the DME industry. Recognizing that John is a prominent champion in the fight against fraud, the organization elected Gallagher as an executive team member to collaborate with other industry leaders, as well as Congressional staffers on ideas and solutions to combat fraud. Prior to joining VGM, John served as the Vice President of North American Sales for Osbon Medical Systems and remained in that position through two mergers/acquisitions with both UroHealth Medical and Imagyn Medical Technologies. In 1998, Gallagher teamed up with Julian Osbon to form a new medical equipment company, SOMA BLUE Medical, where he served as Vice President of North American Sales until he moved to Rhodes Financial Services as the Director of Sales and Marketing. During his time at Rhodes Financial Services, Gallagher served as liaison between the company and various government agencies. He also served on monthly IRS and SBSE (Small Business - Self Employed) forums that dealt with issues affecting the tax industry and tax software development. Gallagher is an Iowa native and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Northern Iowa and a master’s degree in management from the State University of New York - Binghamton. He also received his Regular Army Commission from the University of Iowa, and served as a US Army Signal Corp. Officer from 1983 until 1989, when he resigned his commission with the rank of Captain. In 2016 Gallagher was inducted into both the Inaugural Hall of Fames for both the University of Northern Iowa Army ROTC and the United State Army Reserve Officer Training Command (ROTC). As the vice president of Government Relations, John shares VGM’s vision to not only support the common goals and interests of the home medical equipment, respiratory, and infusion industry, but also to influence how the industry is viewed and supported by both the general public and the government officials at the local, state, and national level. John has fulfilled his duties with the VGM Group since July 31, 2002.