Kathryn Spates, JD, ACNP-BC

Kathryn Spates, JD, ACNP-BC, is the Executive Vice President for Public Policy and Government Relations at Joint Commission. In this role, she leads Joint Commission’s Government Relations office in Washington, D.C., which is the organization’s interface with federal and state governments, as well as on public policy issues. It is also the office concerned with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and its relationship to private sector accreditation; relationships with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies; other offices such as U.S. Government Accountability Office and HHS Office of the Inspector General; Medicaid offices; and with policymaking institutions. Ms. Spates works with federal agencies, Congress, national professional organizations, patient-focused associations, and other relevant stakeholders. She also analyzes the effects of legislation and regulations on Joint Commission and healthcare entities.

Ms. Spates has more than 25 years of healthcare industry experience, spanning legal, government relations, and clinical work. She previously worked at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and as an attorney at a law firm in Washington, D.C. Before she began her government relations and legal career, she spent many years in clinical care as a nurse and an acute care nurse practitioner. She has worked at academic medical centers, at the National Institutes of Health, and at the U.S. Peace Corps headquarters. Ms. Spates also served as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy Nurse Corps. She is a member of the American Bar Association, Health Law Section, American Health Law Association, and Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Health Care Industry Foundation.