Earlier this fall, we sat down with Andrea Maresca, an IVI Board Member, who recently joined our organization. We are thrilled to have an expert in federal and state healthcare policy as part of our organization.
Tell us a little about your background and how you came to be connected with IVI.
During my time in Washington, D.C. I’ve had an opportunity to sit in different seats around the healthcare table – in some instances working for federal or state officials and in others for providers or health plans. But for most of my career I’ve worked on the Medicaid issues – navigating the state and federal policy and operational issues that impact vulnerable populations and their access to care and treatment. I’ve worked at The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, National Association of State Medicaid Directors, and the National Governors Association. I’ve brought this experience with me to Thorn Run Partners, a government relations firm with a strong focus on healthcare.
I joined the IVI Board of Directors last year on the recommendation of a colleague. I was excited by the prospect of offering my expertise to help IVI strengthen its strategic work with CMS and public payers.
What do you think is the most important opportunity to improve value assessment?
While a growing number of entities are talking about value in healthcare in the US, we still seem to be grappling with how to best structure a framework that includes different stakeholder perspectives and can be applied equitably. IVI has an opportunity to fill this gap through its work to design and promote research that reflects different points of view. And IVI’s thoughtful approach to value assessment is one that should appeal to patients, employers, providers, and payers.
What are you most excited about following the IVI Annual Scientific Meeting?
I am excited about the growing interest in building relationships and working with The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This could help expand IVI’s impact two important ways. First, Medicare and Medicaid are the largest public health insurance programs, and they cover very diverse patient populations. This leads to the second factor: because commercial payers often follow CMS’ policy direction, IVI’s engagement with CMS on different value assessment models can help improve awareness among commercial payers.
What is an example of a problem when we get value assessment wrong?
Problems can arise in value assessment if there’s a lack of trust. It could be a lack of trust in the model, the data, or perhaps how information is used and presented. Models that are inclusive of the people who are impacted by these decisions – patients, caregivers, providers – can help mitigate an erosion of trust in value assessment.
How do you see IVI contributing to advancing patient-centered value assessment?
As a relatively new player in the vale assessment world, IVI has an opportunity to facilitate discussion and advance collaboration among stakeholders with a variety of expertise and perspectives. Doing so brings much-needed attention to the complexity of value assessment and what’s at stake in terms of patients’ access to care.
What would you tell other organizations is the value of joining and working with IVI?
Joining IVI helps to validate the need for diversity in value assessment models while providing an opportunity to contribute to this evolving field. IVI embodies the sense that we need a practical and thoughtful approach to value assessment, and that we need more perspectives at the table.
More About Ms. Maresca:
Andrea Maresca brings extensive federal, state and non-profit health policy experience, particularly in relation to the Medicaid program. She possesses a unique perspective on the intersection of federal and state health care policy and programs. During her nearly two decades in the field, she has earned a reputation as an insightful analyst and strategic thinker with the ability to develop, communicate, and advance bipartisan policy solutions.
Prior to Thorn Run Partners, Andrea served at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) – first in the Office Legislation, then as a Special Assistant and Advisor to the Deputy Administrator. In this role, she provided strategic counsel and helped to advance several of the agency’s top priorities early in the Trump Administration.
Before joining CMS, Andrea spent a combined ten years at the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD) and National Governors Association (NGA). As the Director of Federal Policy and Strategy at NAMD, Andrea solidified the organization as a got-to source for analysis and perspectives on critical issues facing state Medicaid programs during implementation of the Affordable Care Act. As the Legislative Director for Health Policy at NGA, she helped to forge bipartisan positions and support governors on major federal legislation and regulations, including the Affordable Care Act, the Recovery Act of 2009, and reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program in 2007.
Andrea has also held positions with the Association for Community Affiliated Plans and the National Association of Community Health Centers, and as a speechwriter and legislative staffer for Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro. She first came to Washington, D.C. as a Mikey Leland Hunger Fellow.
Ms. Maresca earned her Master’s in Public Health from George Washington University and her bachelor’s degree from Villanova University.
Many thanks to Ms. Maresca for taking the time for this conversation and for her ongoing commitment to advancing the science of value assessment.
