Mark Hayes Email & Phone Number

Mark L. Hayes is an attorney and pharmacist with over three decades of experience across the federal, state, and local levels of government and in the private sector, focusing on health law, policy, and advocacy. His career is marked by significant roles, including serving on the staff for four U.S. Senators (Grassley, Bond, Snowe, and Jeffords) and notably serving as the Health Policy Director and Chief Health Counsel for the Senate Finance Committee under Chair/Ranking Member Grassley.At Ascension, as the Senior Vice President for Policy and Advocacy, Mark has led federal and state-level policy and advocacy strategies in alignment with Ascension’s strategic goals, upholding its mission and values and fostering substantial accomplishments. Under Mark's leadership, the award-winning Telehealth Access for America public affairs campaign was established, and his strategic interventions were crucial in shaping CMS decisions in support of strategic initiatives. During his eight-year tenure as Health Policy Director and Chief Health Counsel for Senator Grassley at the Senate Finance Committee, Mark was a principal architect of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit and Medicare Advantage programs in addition to his leadership role in the passage and enactment of the MMA and ACA, among other critical legislation. Mark holds a Juris Doctor from the American University Washington College of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Trauma Care Association of America, on the executive committee for the Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing, and as Board President for Telehealth Access for America. Mark is passionate about advancing Ascension's commitment to delivering compassionate, personalized, and accessible care to all persons, especially those who are struggling the most.