DISCERN - Key Persons
Brittany Perkins, MPH, is a Project Analyst at Discern Health. She supports projects related to quality measurement and value-based care initiatives. Brittany brings a public health and health policy background with a focus on health systems and providers. Her experience includes qualitative research, such as systematic reviews and structured literature reviews, and facilitation of expert panel discussions. In her role at Discern, she has also worked on projects related to the transformation of primary care practices to improve quality of care and better meet patient needs.
Prior to joining Discern, Brittany assisted on a project analyzing hospital compliance with Community Health Needs Assessments federal regulations and was a health economics teaching assistant while earning her MPH. In addition, Brittany has experience in both federal and state government environments.
Areas of Expertise
Literature scans and reviews
Chris Juday, a Vice President at Discern Health, applies her deep experience in life sciences to connect with clients on a range of issues centered on health care quality and value. Having worked in a variety of life sciences roles, Chris can translate quality and value concepts into practical solutions for Discern's clients. Chris has worked with national and regional organizations to implement new quality measures, initiate quality and value policy, and develop value-based arrangements and demonstrations. She is passionate about the importance of systemwide evaluation of value to drive health care decisions versus one of pure cost.
David Sloan joined Discern Health in 2013. He has managed a wide variety of projects at Discern related to client engagement in the value-based health care environment. His work has included support for measure set selection for quality improvement programs, strategic advising for life sciences companies seeking to understand the value landscape for therapeutic areas of interest, and quality measure data analysis for health plans. His role at Discern enables him to contribute in areas from detailed day-to-day client communication and content development to high-level client guidance.
Prior to coming to Discern, David worked as a Senior Research Fellow for US Representative David McKinley (WV), which followed from a three-year post-doctoral fellowship in neuroscience at West Virginia University. David has been able to transition his scientific training into the health care policy environment by adding health care subject matter expertise onto his foundation in data analysis and research.
Areas of Expertise
Value environment review and strategic advising
David Blaisdell, a Director at Discern Health, leads and manages client projects, providing insight and subject matter expertise, particularly on quality landscapes and measure gap identification. David has led and contributed to projects focused on oncology quality measurement, most recently working with the National Pharmaceutical Council, as well as the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, to identify key gaps in measures used in accountability programs and opportunities for measure development. Through this experience, David can help clients navigate the oncology measure and value-based policy environment and define strategies for success.
In his time at Discern, David has led the review of the quality measurement and policy landscape for several therapeutic and topic areas and developed strategies for clients on opportunities to succeed within the value-based marketplace. David has led and contributed to projects convening multiple stakeholders, including providers, professional societies, patient groups, industry coalitions, and life sciences companies, to analyze gaps in measurement and define priorities for new measure development.
Before joining Discern, David was a legislative aide at the Massachusetts House of Representatives, coordinating constituent services and supporting policy analysis. Prior to this role, David served as Research Director for Voters Count, a voter advocacy nonprofit.
Areas of Expertise
Measure gap identification and concept proposal strategies
Donna Dugan, a Senior Vice President at Discern Health, leads and manages client projects, providing insight and subject matter expertise, particularly on quality measurement, health policy, and health services research. She focuses on business development as well as mentoring junior staff in project management and content development.
Eric Wahlstrom is a Senior Project Manager at Discern Health. In addition to project management responsibilities, he conducts research related to integrated care delivery models, value-based purchasing, and quality measurement. Eric also analyzes data and designs visual analytic displays in support of client projects. Eric's recent work at Discern includes the statistical analysis of New Jersey Medicaid claims data. He also conducted a scan of quality measures related to serious illness care and developed educational materials for clients.
Prior to joining Discern Health, Eric tracked and reported on air quality data in Western Pennsylvania, in support of public health advocacy efforts. He also researched E. coli at Brigham Young University and led educational workshops on pediatric asthma.
Areas of Expertise
MACRA - MIPS
Erik Muther is Senior Vice President at Discern Health, where he leads programs related to quality improvement, new payment models, and value-based care, with a focus on multi-stakeholder transformation initiatives. Erik has over 23 years of health care experience leading a wide range of performance measurement, measure alignment, quality strategy, and value-based incentive programs. He specializes in managing multi-stakeholder initiatives to align health care metrics, incentives, outcomes, and payment methodologies.
At Discern, Erik works with the partners and senior staff to develop and lead initiatives that leverage a value-based approach to care delivery, improve the quality and affordability of health care, and set strategic direction for clients in a value-based environment. Erik's recent projects include providing strategic advice to clients on the development, maintenance, selection, and use of health care performance measures, as well as developing and presenting educational content to a diverse client base on quality measurement and value-based purchasing programs.
Erik joined Discern Health in 2017 from the Health Care Improvement Foundation (HCIF), where he served as Managing Director of the Pennsylvania Health Care Quality Alliance (PHCQA). Erik was previously the Executive Director of PHCQA for eight years before it merged to become a part of HCIF in 2015.
Areas of Expertise
Quality and performance improvement
Eva Lenoir is a Project Manager at Discern Health. Eva leverages her experience in quantitative and qualitative methods and policy analysis to support Discern clients achieve their goals. Her recent work focuses on value-based care, health information technology, and quality measurement.
Before joining Discern, Eva was a Program Manager at the Maryland Health Care Commission where she collaborated on program development initiatives focused on advancing health IT to improve quality, safety, and equity of health care. Eva's work included convening stakeholder workgroups to address policy changes, assessing the health IT landscape across provider types (e.g., skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, urgent care centers), and creating educational resources for providers on health IT best practices and raising awareness of telehealth among consumers. Eva also managed projects assessing the effectiveness of select telehealth use cases in various care settings. Previously, she worked at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine conducting behavioral pharmacology research, including controlled clinical trials on cannabis use for therapeutic purposes.
Areas of Expertise
Health information technology
Guy D'Andrea founded Discern in 2004, just as value-based purchasing was entering mainstream health care policy. Discern's earliest projects focused on the implementation of physician and hospital pay-for-performance programs. At that same time, future Discern partners Tom Valuck and Linda Shelton were working at CMS and NCQA, respectively, helping to build those organizations' value-based purchasing programs.
Jacqlyn Riposo is a Director at Discern Health. She has over a decade of experience in health care policy with a diverse portfolio of federal agencies and nongovernmental clients. She leverages her background in quality measures, evidence-based medicine, and project management to help Discern clients and partners achieve their goals.
Jan Ileto is a Project Analyst at Discern Health with experience in community health research, immigrant health, and health care disparities. She currently supports projects related to quality of care and value-based processes.
Before joining Discern, Jan completed an internship with HCBS Strategies, where she provided project management support on efforts to improve home- and community-based supports for older adults and individuals with disabilities. Additionally, Jan has worked as a research assistant with Centro SOL at Johns Hopkins, where she evaluated an intervention to improve public insurance uptake among Latinx families in Baltimore.
Areas of Expertise
Policy analysis
Kaitlyn Whiton is a Director at Discern Health. She has a broad range of public health and policy knowledge, as well as extensive project management and data analytics experience. Kaitlyn helps clients understand the quality landscape specific to their therapeutic interest areas and identifies strategies for them to succeed in the evolving value-based care environment. Her recent work at Discern includes quantitatively assessing the performance of existing quality measures and examining the feasibility of potential new measures.
Prior to joining Discern, Kaitlyn was a policy analyst at the Hilltop Institute, where she conducted research related to vulnerable populations. She also managed the public policy and research programs at the National Sleep Foundation.
Areas of Expertise
Data manipulation and analytics
Katie Schultz is a Project Analyst at Discern Health. She has experience in community health research, health advocacy, policy analysis, and program evaluation. She brings both public health and anthropological perspectives to her work. Katie currently supports projects related to vaccination and developing educational resources on health care quality and value-based care.
Prior to joining Discern, Katie completed an internship with the Maryland Department of Health where she led research about stigma in substance use disorder data and data products. While receiving her master's at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, she volunteered as a student consultant, designing a grant template toolkit for a non-profit community organization. She also has experience in public health ethnographic research globally. In the fall of 2018, Katie worked on a team studying health care systems and infectious diseases across different countries, including Vietnam, South Africa, and Argentina.
Areas of Expertise
Health policy analysis
Job Titles:
- Project Manager
- CAPM Project Manager
Kendra Mehling is a Project Manager at Discern Health. She has experience in chronic disease prevention, pharmaceutical policy, and community health initiatives. Kendra currently supports projects related to oncology clinical pathways, diabetes, and value-based care. She brings a public health focus to her work and enjoys helping clients navigate the increasingly complex health care environment.
Prior to joining Discern, Kendra completed a fellowship with Novo Nordisk, providing policy analysis support related to drug pricing, importation, and access. Additionally, she supported community health initiatives relating to diabetes and obesity prevention. Kendra has worked as a research assistant at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health where she helped evaluate the health and economic impact of sugar-sweetened beverage taxes. She also has public health project experience relating to infant mortality, personal hygiene, and cognition.
Areas of Expertise
Health policy evaluation
Nina Regenold is a Project Analyst at Discern Health. She brings a strong qualitative research background and knowledge of innovative, international, and multicultural care approaches to help clients improve care and navigate the health system. Nina's recent work at Discern involves projects related to value-based care, policy, provider consolidation, and vaccination.
Prior to joining Discern, Nina worked with the Rapid Research, Evaluation and Appraisal Lab (RREAL) at University College London (UCL), where she conducted qualitative research with health care workers during COVID-19 and collaborated on a number of publications. Nina has program evaluation experience relating to peer- and community-based recovery models. She also has experience conducting health research across different levels, including individual patient experiences, specific cultural groups, health care providers, and larger health systems.
Areas of Expertise
Qualitative analysis
Osvaldo Arambulo is a Project Analyst at Discern Health with experience in community health research, psychiatric patient reception in the outpatient setting, and gun violence prevention. He currently supports projects related to program evaluation, quality improvement, and federal rulemaking.
Prior to joining Discern, Osvaldo was involved with the Johns Hopkins University Center for Gun Policy and Research, where he explored the relationship between concealed-carry gun laws and interpersonal firearm violence. He has also helped implement and evaluate a research and ethics training manual for community health workers at the University of California San Diego.
Areas of Expertise
Value-based payment models
Palak Patel is a Senior Project Manager at Discern Health. Palak has led various projects that promote the development of a high-performance health system, specifically through value-based payment and quality measurement. Her recent work includes conducting research and coordinating a multi-stakeholder convening to identify opportunities for improving patient-reported measures for oncology, reviewing comprehensive rulemaking documents to support clients' understanding of value-based payment programs (e.g., Merit-based Incentive Payment System, Alternative Payment Models, Accountable Care Organizations), and supporting quality landscape scans and other quality initiatives to inform strategy development for clients in the public and private sectors.
Prior to joining Discern, Palak contributed to administrative management and operations within the Johns Hopkins Children's Center (JHCC). The core focus of her work at JHCC involved financial analysis, quality improvement, and hospital operations. While completing her MHA, she also assisted in developing a recruitment strategy for Community Services Group, an organization focused on providing community-based services for intellectual and developmental disability and mental health in Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania. Palak's research experience and administrative training provided a strong foundation for her current work in the health policy and value-based-care environment.
Areas of Expertise
Value-based payment - Quality Payment Program
Rachael Peroutky is a Senior Project Manager at Discern Health. She has served as the primary researcher for measure development and quality improvement projects related to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and heart failure. Rachael has experience engaging with health care stakeholders through workshop meetings, interviews, and webinars. In addition, Rachael has supported the development, drafting, and graphic design of strategic reports for multiple clients.
Job Titles:
- a Project Analyst
- Project Analyst
Sara Khan joined Discern Health as a Project Analyst in 2019. Her recent work at Discern includes the research and development of a monthly quality insight series.
Before joining Discern, Sara was a legislative intern for the Maryland Hospital Association, where she wrote position papers for health care bills during the 2019 legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly and assisted on advocacy efforts for the Maryland Model. She has also interned for US Representative Elijah E. Cummings (MD), where she received a Congressional Award for her research in opioid addiction in Baltimore City. Sara continues to bring her expertise in policy analysis and quality improvement to ensure success within the value-based marketplace.
Areas of Expertise
Policy analysis
Sara Valek joined Discern Health in 2019. Most recently, Sara worked as a Program Manager for the Cancer and Chronic Disease Prevention Bureau at the Maryland Department of Health, providing oversight and leadership to various technical working groups of the statewide cancer coalition, and engaging stakeholders to support the development of health system improvement projects. Sara's work has included health system risk assessment analyses and providing technical content development related to pharmaceutical quality measures. She is currently supporting projects within Discern's oncology portfolio for several life sciences clients. Her role at Discern allows her to assess gaps in the quality measure landscape and contribute to client recommendations for improving access to appropriate products and care, as well as implementing evaluation methods to increase health care quality.
Previously, Sara has supported the implementation of health-related projects across a wide range of technical areas in both domestic and international settings, including HIV and TB prevention, vaccine uptake, and reproductive health. Sara has additional experience in program monitoring and evaluation, new business development, and study protocol design.
Areas of Expertise
Strategic planning
Sarena Ho is a Project Analyst at Discern Health with experience in violence prevention, community health initiatives, and global health. She brings a strong research and policy analysis background to the Discern team. Sarena currently supports projects related to oncology, vaccination, quality improvement, and value-based care.
Before joining Discern, Sarena completed a fellowship at the Baltimore City Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice where she supported efforts to address violence as a public health problem in Baltimore City. Additionally, Sarena has worked as an intern with the CDC Vaccine Task Force Global Team and as a graduate research assistant with the Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit.
Areas of Expertise
Health policy analysis
Shums Alikhan is a Project Manager at Discern Health. Shums works with clients across the health care industry, including life sciences companies, nonprofit organizations, health plans, and both federal and state agencies. She has experience with policy analysis, mixed methods research, as well as developing evidence-based solutions to address a range of health policy issues. Shums' recent work at Discern includes projects related to value-based care, quality measures, and health equity.
Tom also served as a Senior Advisor and Medical Officer at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), where he advised senior agency leadership regarding Medicare payment and quality of care, particularly related to value-based payment.
Veronica Ellis is a Project Analyst at Discern Health with experience in health disparities, population health research, chronic disease prevention, and community-based program implementation. She currently supports clients with projects related to vaccine policy, rare disease, and advance care planning.
Prior to joining Discern, Veronica completed an internship at Merck, supporting global population health efforts and employee wellbeing to increase access to preventive services, optimize health and wellbeing, and improve population health. She also has experience developing and implementing community-based public health education programs in the School District of Philadelphia that address health disparities, public health, and health policy. Additionally, Veronica led research efforts for a startup focused on advance directive completion through electronic health records.
Areas of Expertise
Health policy analysis