Howard Tuch, M.D.

Howard Tuch, M.D., C.M.D., is an internist and geriatrician trained at the University of North Carolina, the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He is board certified in internal medicine (1991) and has added qualifications in geriatric medicine (1992, 2002) and in hospice and palliative medicine (1997). He has served on the board of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and the Florida Medical Directors Association.

From 1996 to 2002, Dr. Tuch was Director of Palliative Care Services for Genesis ElderCare, a large geriatric health care provider operating in 48 states. In that role he introduced advance care planning, ethics consultation, pain management, and palliative care programs into the more than 300 community nursing homes in the Genesis system. He received a grant in 1998 from the Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) Foundation program, Promoting Excellence in End of Life Care, to implement and evaluate palliative care programs in Genesis nursing homes in Maryland. He also served as a consultant to the RWJ program, Community-State Partnerships to Improve End-of-Life Care, working with grantees throughout the country on long-term care initiatives.

Currently, Dr. Tuch is the Medical Director for Long-Term Care Programs at a large community hospice program in Florida, serving over 850 patients a day. As such, he is responsible for overseeing 3 hospice teams caring for over 350 hospice patients daily residing in nursing homes and assisted living centers. He also provides clinical consultations and leadership in program development. He has served as physician consultant to the Florida Health Care Organization. He has also served on the Governor’s commission to improve end of life care, and has frequently worked with the Florida legislature on various initiatives related to both long-term care and end-of-life care.