What policy areas did you focus on as a student?
Healthy policy, healthcare operations
What policy areas became your focus post-degree?
Health policy/operations specializing in Medicaid, managed care, and value-based care
What is your current position?
Associate director of network development and managed care contracting at Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association
What type of work do you do in this position?
- Value-based care contract negotiations on behalf of Federally Qualified Health Centers
- Clinical quality improvement and performance management
- Clinical and financial data management, analytics, and forecasting
- Managed care subject matter expert
Example of work project:
We recently negotiated a new value-based care contract with a managed care organization that was completely different from anything our group had been involved in up to that point. One key step in the process was communicating the proposed changes to leadership teams, ensuring that they clearly understood the mechanics of the agreement and what they would need to do to be successful. This included analysis of historic clinical and financial performance data, projections of future performance and the likelihood of success, and detailing expected ROI for each stakeholder. I also provided direct support to staff on the ground to ensure they knew: 1) what changes they needed to make to be successful in the arrangement, 2) the evidence behind why those changes were needed, and 3) how this would positively impact their patients’ experience and clinical outcomes.
How have you gotten from La Follette to where you are now?
Graduated from La Follette in 2017; graduated from the School of Medicine and Public Health with an MPH in 2018; briefly worked at DHS as a policy analyst for the FoodShare Employment and Training program while completing MPH degree; worked as a policy analyst for the Medicaid Managed Care Oversight section at DHS; worked as legislative liaison and project lead for the Family Impact Seminar at La Follette; finally, moved to the Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association (WPHCA) where I work as associate director of network development and managed care contracting
How have you used what you learned during your time at La Follette on the job?
What I took away from La Follette was not necessarily specific information or tools that were “plug and play” in my career. Rather, La Follette prepared me for how to think.
What courses did you take during your time at La Follette that have most contributed to you becoming a success in your current career?
PA 878: Introduction to Public Management (Don Moynihan) – This is likely the La Follette course that most profoundly changed the way I think about policy development and program implementation in the public sector. How are public organizations structured and how does that impact what they are able to do (or not do)? What type of people choose to work in the public sector and what does that mean for organizational culture? What does a public sector leader need to think about that their counterparts in the private sector do not? Throughout my career, this course has helped me to better understand why decisions are made, why problems may be occurring, and to propose alternative options moving forward.
PA 895 Performance Management (Don Moynihan) – In every position I have had in my professional career, there has always been a need to clearly identify project goals and hold stakeholders (whether internal or external) accountable for achieving them. The Performance Management class not only provided the foundational principles of strategic planning and measuring performance data, but more importantly examined the promise and pitfalls of applying those principles and tools in the public sector. I can honestly say this course has been invaluable in helping me better understand the state and national Medicaid and Medicare managed care landscape.
PA 864 Health Policy and Policy Design (Yang Wang) – As a professional in health policy and healthcare operations, I lean on my experience from this course quite a bit. What was perhaps most beneficial was the exploration of health systems from across the world and how they contrast with the U.S. system.
OTM 753 — Healthcare Operations Management (Urban Wemmerlov) – The Healthcare Operations Management course was a fantastic entry point to the world of hospital finance and reimbursement structures. The course was my first real introduction to value-based care gave me a much better understanding of how hospital and other healthcare administrators think about the day-to-day business of providing care. In my current role working with value-based contracts and reimbursement, I still go back to my notes from this course when I’m feeling stuck on a particularly difficult problem.