GAO Makes PTAC Appointments

WASHINGTON, DC (July 28, 2020) – Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), today announced the appointment of three new members to the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC).

“PTAC’s assessment of physician-focused payment models, along with its recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, are helping to guide Medicare’s transition to value-based care. We had many highly qualified candidates apply for positions on the Committee this year, and I believe that these latest appointments will bring valuable experience and perspectives to the Committee’s work,” Dodaro said.

The newly appointed members are Jay S. Feldstein, DO, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Philadelphia, PA; Lauran Hardin, MSN, CNL, FNAP, FAAN, Senior Advisor for Partnership and Technical Assistance at the National Center for Complex Health and Social Needs, Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers, in Camden, NJ; and Joshua M. Liao, MD, MSc, FACP, Medical Director of Payment Strategy at UW Medicine and Director of the Value and Systems Science Lab at the University of Washington School of Medicine, in Seattle, WA. Their terms will expire in 2023.

Congress established PTAC in 2015 to provide comments and recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on physician payment models. The Comptroller General is responsible for appointing members to the committee.

For more information about PTAC, contact Stella Mandl, PTAC Staff Director, at PTAC@hhs.gov. Other calls should be directed to Chuck Young in GAO’s Office of Public Affairs at (202) 512-4800. Brief biographies of the new commission members follow:

Jay S. Feldstein, DO, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine where, in conjunction with the Board of Trustees, he supervises and controls the institution’s business and affairs. Previously, Dr. Feldstein was the President of the Northern Division of Pennsylvania Managed Care Plans for the AmeriHealth Caritas Family of Companies. In that role, he was responsible for network management, patient management, quality, marketing, and related activities for health plans covering 700,000 at-risk members. Dr. Feldstein earned his bachelor’s degree from Penn State University and his doctor of osteopathic medicine from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his residency in emergency medicine at the Medical Center of Delaware and his internship at John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Stratford, NJ. He is board certified in emergency medicine and occupational medicine and is a fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine.

Lauran Hardin, MSN, CNL, FNAP, FAAN, is the Senior Advisor for Partnership and Technical Assistance at the National Center for Complex Health and Social Needs, an initiative of the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers, where she co-designs and implements models for complex care delivery. Prior to her current position, Ms. Hardin was Director for Complex Care at Mercy Health Saint Mary’s, a complex care resource center serving more than 1,400 complex patients in the West Michigan region. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, the National Academies of Practice and member of the American Nurses Association and Clinical Nurse Leader Association. Ms. Hardin received her master of science in nursing from the University of Detroit Mercy.

Joshua M. Liao, MD, MSc, FACP, is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the Value and Systems Science Lab in the University of Washington School of Medicine, where much of his work focuses on analyzing and evaluating Medicare alternative payment models. He also helps guide value-based payment and delivery strategy at UW Medicine, the University of Washington health system, as the Medical Director of Payment Strategy. He is a member of both the American Medical Association’s RUC Advisory Committee and the American College of Physician’s Medical Practice and Quality Committee. Dr. Liao received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, and completed his residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA, where he was also a Clinical Fellow in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He obtained his health policy research training at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics.

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