EDISON, N.J., Sept. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Vital Decisions, LLC, a leading provider of proprietary counseling services to individuals experiencing an advanced illness, announced today that it has appointed former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy G. Thompson as Chairman of its Board of Directors.

Vital Decisions works in partnership with the nation’s leading health care plans to offer individuals and their families with advanced illness the opportunity to participate in a proprietary counseling program to help facilitate communication and decision making among patients, their families and their physicians during this difficult time. The Company is a portfolio company of MTS Health Investors, the New York-based healthcare private equity firm.

Mitchell Daitz, CEO of Vital Decisions, said, “We’re thrilled to have Secretary Thompson join Vital Decisions as the Chairman of its Board. His experience and knowledge as a thought leader for our nation’s health care system will provide invaluable insight to the Company as it continues its rapid growth during this time of dynamic change within the nation’s health care delivery system.”

Secretary Thompson has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in health care and public service. He was first elected to the Wisconsin state Assembly in 1966, where he served until he was elected Governor in 1987. Thompson served as Governor from 1987 to 2001 before he was nominated by President George W. Bush to serve as Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services in 2001. During his four-year term at HHS, Secretary Thompson served as the nation’s leading advocate for the health and welfare of all Americans. Secretary Thompson is currently the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Thompson Holdings and an Operating Partner at MTS. Secretary Thompson received both his Bachelor of Sciences and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Secretary Thompson said, “I am tremendously excited to join Vital Decisions as its Chairman. The Company is doing important work to help seriously ill individuals and their families participate more fully in decisions about their care. I look forward to working with the Vital Decisions team to expand the Company’s reach into this dynamic market.”

Oliver T. Moses, Senior Managing Director of MTS, added, “We have been fortunate to work with Secretary Thompson in his role as an Operating Partner of MTS. We know that Vital Decisions and its constituents will similarly benefit from his involvement and we look forward to partnering with him in this endeavor.”

About Vital Decisions

Vital Decisions, based in Edison, New Jersey, provides a proprietary counseling service to advanced illness patients. The Company’s Living Well Program addresses inadequate communication and shared decision making between patient, provider and family during serious illness in order to improve the value and quality of healthcare delivered. For additional information regarding Vital Decisions, please visit “www.vitaldecisions.net.

About MTS

MTS Health Investors, LLC, located in New York, is a healthcare private equity firm that makes investments in operating companies within the healthcare industry. MTS targets companies that provide cost-effective solutions in the services and low-technology manufacturing sectors of the healthcare industry. For further information, please visit www.mtshealthinvestors.com.