Laura Williard is the vice president of payer relations for the American Association for Homecare. She has formed relationships with national payers including Anthem, TRICARE, the Defense Health Agency, AIM Sleep Management and CareCentrix, to have a greater impact on policy and operational changes for HME providers. She has consulted with legal staff on the impact of the CURES Bill and created reference materials and resources for the industry; and at the state level she has been a driving force to secure wins in several states who were following suit with Medicare reimbursement. Williard has served in the HME community for more than 24 years, most recently at Advanced Home Care as senior director of regulatory affairs, reimbursement compliance, and contracting. She has extensive experience working with managed care, Medicare advantage, MEDICAID MCOs, and state Medicaid programs. Laura is very active in the state associations, serving on the board for GAMES, Vice President for ACMESA, and Vice President for ATHOMES. She also served as the vice chair for the Jurisdiction C Medicare Council, and is a founding member of the Mediware User Group. Williard also participated as a member of the Palmetto 16 State Coalition Committee and sat on the Public Policy Committee of the Visiting Nurses Association of America, and both home health associations during her time at Advanced Home Care. In addition to her industry involvement, Williard has previous experience managing a large reimbursement department with 150 employees and was responsible for all aspects of the revenue cycle.