NHIA announces Optum exec as award recipient

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Home Infusion Association has named Penny Allen, RD, CNSC, FASPEN, FNHIA, as the recipient of the 2023 Gene Graves Lifetime Achievement Award. 

As vice president of nutrition support for Optum Infusion Pharmacy, Allen leads clinical programs focused on achieving better health outcomes for patients with malnutrition. With more than 30 years of experience in the industry, her clinical expertise and unwavering commitment to patient care has put her in the forefront of clinical excellence, patient advocacy and earned her a reputation as a trusted and respected leader, the NHIA says. 

“To have the opportunity to witness the impact of home infusion, specifically nutrition-related therapies in patient lives, is what has kept me in this incredibly complex business for almost 35 years,” Allen said.  “My career in home infusion has, honestly, been such a blessing in my life. I have worked with some of the greatest people on the planet, many of whom are my best friends in life. Receiving the NHIA Lifetime Achievement Award is beyond humbling and I’m incredibly honored.” 

Allen’s work with NHIA and the American Society of Parenteral Nutrition (ASPEN) was instrumental in changing Medicare’s coverage policy for home parenteral nutrition (HPN) to reflect current clinical practices, an advocacy effort spanning 20 plus years and multiple reconsideration requests, the NHIA says. The revised local coverage determination was the first change to the HPN policy since it was created in 1984 and has resulted in significantly improved access to this therapy for beneficiaries.  

The award is the highest honor that NHIA bestows on a member of the home and alternate site infusion profession who has dedicated significant time, energy and resources to advocate on behalf of patients and the industry. It is named after Gene Graves, a home infusion pioneer who was instrumental to the founding of NHIA in 1991.