|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
When the stakes are high, Toren Mushovic is at his strongest. He spent his formative years as a division officer on board a ship in the US Navy, and recalls, “The experience of leading sailors twice my age was both humbling and confidence-building.”
Today, Mushovic serves as vice president and compliance and government affairs officer at Soleo Health, where he tracks the moving target of healthcare regulations. He also remains connected to the military as a reservist—and those roots run deep.
“The experience of leading sailors twice my age was both humbling and confidence-building.”
Toren Mushovic
He grew up in Coronado, California, a Navy town. Service was in Mushovic’s blood; his father was drafted into the Navy in World War II, and later, the Navy sent him to college and medical school.
Mushovic’s dream was pursuing the law rather than medicine, but like his father, he achieved that goal through his time in the military. As a junior officer, he was sent overseas. While sailing around the world, he ensured ships were ready for deployment despite major time constraints. He also participated in historical events like Operation Iraqi Freedom and honed his diplomatic skills as an informal ambassador.
While Mushovic knew deep down that he would always be in the military, his interest in the law spurred him to earn both his JD and enter the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, the legal arm of the Navy. As a judge advocate, he went on assignment to serve the top commander in Iraq for all coalition forces. Almost a decade later, as a reservist, Mushovic kept close to historically significant events, such as the first visit to Bahrain by the Israeli Defense Minister in 2022. “I have seen the world evolve before my eyes because of the historic events I’ve been a part of in the Navy,” he recalls.
Mushovic has remained connected to the military as a reservist with a focus on international law, but in 2012 he left his full-time position for private practice. He was ready to start a family, and the global law firm Hogan Lovells offered him not just an associate position, but also a more stable lifestyle. There, he dove right into his assigned field: healthcare law and litigation. Through conducting depositions around the country, Mushovic began to understand the toll fraud takes on the entire system and how to fix it. In the process, he discovered a passion for healthcare compliance.
“Ultimately, I enjoy finding creative solutions to difficult problems.”
Toren Mushovic
As Toren Mushovic found himself increasingly interested in healthcare, he had an opportunity to represent famed immunologist Isaac Melamed, founder of IMMUNOe Health & Research Centers. In 2016, Mushovic was hired full-time at IMMUNOe Health and represented the company in a series of negotiations, including the forming of Veros Biologics (now known as Veros Health), a joint venture owned by Melamed and Soleo Health.
Mushovic eventually joined Soleo Health in 2021 to work on healthcare compliance and government affairs. He explains that he was drawn to the company because it’s dynamic and innovative and he enjoys working in a fast-paced, demanding environment. “Ultimately, I enjoy finding creative solutions to difficult problems,” he says.
Soleo Health is a national provider of complex specialty pharmacy services administered in the home or at alternative sites of care, with an interdisciplinary team that includes physician specialists, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and clinical pharmacists, among others. Its ability to treat patients outside a hospital setting has made all the difference for some of the most vulnerable, particularly at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Real change can be created in a smaller setting for better business models and improved patient care,” Toren Mushovic explains. “In many ways, our care reminds me of old-school physicians like my father, whose routine always included home visits.”
“Our biggest legislative win yet is simply being in the game.”
Toren Mushovic
Legislative work is an important part of Mushovic’s job, but Soleo Health’s size does present certain challenges in getting its voice heard—sometimes competing against many other interest groups. Still, he’s grateful to be part of the conversation at all. “Our biggest legislative win yet is simply being in the game,” he notes.
A natural diplomat, Mushovic has taken the same approach to his work in Washington, DC, as he did in the Navy, working to develop relationships with the right decision-makers. For example, over the last several years Soleo Health has been working to secure sustainable reimbursement for home infusion services under the Medicare program, which has been threatened by a controversial 2018 decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Aside from Toren Mushovic’s legislative work, his main goal is to manage risk by developing, implementing, and promoting the highest standards in a compliance program. It’s tough in an industry where regulations can shift on a dime, but he is constantly reviewing internal policies, educating staff members, and auditing to ensure compliance. “My goal is to safeguard Soleo Health so we can succeed in our strategic focus of shaking up healthcare,” he says.
