The LAN welcomes new Accountable Care Action Collaborative member Mara McDermott
September 21, 2023
Washington, D.C., (DATE) — Today, the Health Care Payment Learning & Action Network (HCP-LAN) announced Accountable for Health (A4H), a nonpartisan Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization committed to accelerating the adoption of effective accountable care, will join the LAN’s Accountable Care Action Collaboration (ACAC). A4H, led by CEO Mara McDermott, will work with other ACAC members to accelerate the adoption of accountable care to improve people’s experience in the healthcare system, produce better outcomes, and lower costs.
The LAN defines “accountable care” as care that centers on the patient and aligns their care team to support shared decision-making. This helps to realize the best achievable health outcomes for all through equitable, comprehensive, high-quality, affordable, longitudinal care.
The LAN believes building strong partnerships across payers, purchasers, providers, states, and beneficiaries is essential to achieving system-wide transformation. ACAC members are industry leaders who work with the LAN to advance accountable care, the patient-centered effort that centers on shared decision-making and supports best outcomes for all. A4H joins the ACAC as its 32nd member.
“A4H will be a great asset to the ACAC, as it represents an experienced cohort of organizations involved in accountable care. We look forward to working with them to make significant progress in putting ideas into action. Mara’s experience in working with diverse constituencies within the health care industry will be a bonus,” said ACAC co-chair Jeff Micklos, executive director of the Health Care Transformation Task Force.
Key components of the ACAC include creating a movement that promotes efforts to advance accountable care, coordinating with and leveraging other LAN initiatives and activities, and fostering partnerships to facilitate large-scale application of findings and best practices.
A4H represents nearly 40 like-minded stakeholders including providers of and advocates for accountable care. A4H aims to drive cohesive advocacy to showcase accountable care, facilitate information sharing and messaging alignment, and shape and develop policy positions at the federal level. Additionally, A4H engages in educational efforts to spotlight and profile care innovations and successes.
“A4H is pleased to join such a robust group of leaders coming together to advance health care delivery that prioritizes quality and outcomes over the number of services provided,” said McDermott. “Our objectives are aligned toward creating transformational change for Americans to improve their health care experiences.”
About Accountable for Health
Accountable for Health (A4H) is a 501(c)(4) national advocacy and policy analysis organization accelerating the adoption of sustainable, effective accountable care that improves health care quality and outcomes and lower costs. They represent a broad, diverse group of accountable care stakeholders working to improve the way health care is delivered to people across the county, across various payers, programs, and delivery models. A4H provides advocacy, research, and education to improve outcomes and patient experiences while lowering costs. For more information, visit https://accountableforhealth.org/. Follow them on LinkedIn and Twitter (@acct4health).
About the LAN
The LAN started in 2015 and is an active group of public and private health care leaders dedicated to providing thought leadership, strategic direction, and ongoing support to accelerate our care system’s adoption of alternative payment models (APMs). The LAN mobilizes payers, providers, purchasers, patients, product manufacturers, policymakers, and others in a shared mission to lower care costs, improve patient experiences and outcomes, reduce the barriers to APM participation, and promote shared accountability. Find more information here.
For more information contact Claire Bischoff, cbishoff@prosek.com.
Purchasers
Enabling Organizations | 
Policy Makers
Community Organizations
Emily DuHamel Brower, M.B.A., is senior vice president of clinical integration and physician services for Trinity Health. Emphasizing clinical integration and payment model transformation, Ms. Brower provides strategic direction related to the evolving accountable healthcare environment with strong results. Her team is currently accountable for $10.4B of medical expense for 1.6M lives in Medicare Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid and Commercial Alternative Payment Models.
Mr. James Sinkoff is the Deputy Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer for Sun River Health (formerly known as Hudson River HealthCare), and the Chief Executive Officer of Solutions 4 Community Health (S4CH); an MSO serving FQHCs and private physician practices.
Victor is the Chief Medical Officer for TennCare, Tennessee’s Medicaid Agency. At TennCare, Victor leads the medical office to ensure quality and effective delivery of medical, pharmacy, and dental services to its members. He also leads TennCare’s opioid epidemic strategy, social determinants of health, and practice transformation initiatives across the agency. Prior to joining TennCare, Victor worked at Evolent Health supporting value-based population health care delivery. In 2013, Victor served as a White House Fellow to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Victor completed his Internal Medicine Residency at Emory University still practices clinically as an internist in the Veteran’s Affairs Health System.
Dr. Brandon G. Wilson, DrPH, MHA (he, him, his) joined Community Catalyst as the Director of the Center for Consumer Engagement in Health Innovation, where he leads the Center in bringing the community’s experience to the forefront of health systems transformation and health reform efforts, in order to deliver better care, better value and better health for every community, particularly vulnerable and historically underserved populations. The Center works directly with community advocates around the country to increase the skills and power they have to establish an effective voice at all levels of the health care system. The Center collaborates with innovative health plans, hospitals and providers to incorporate communities and their lived experience into the design of systems of care. The Center also works with state and federal policymakers to spur change that makes the health system more responsive to communities. And it provides consulting services to health plans, provider groups and other health care organizations to help them create meaningful structures for engagement with their communities.
Tamara Ward is the SVP of Insurance Business Operations at Oscar Health, where she leads the National Network Contracting Strategy and Market Expansion & Readiness. Prior to Oscar she served as VP of Managed Care & Network Operations at TriHealth in Southwest Ohio. With over 15 years of progressive health care experience, she has been instrumental driving collaborative payer provider strategies, improving insurance operations, and building high value networks through her various roles with UHC and other large provider health systems. Her breadth and depth of experience and interest-based approach has allowed her to have success solving some of the most complex issues our industry faces today. Tam is passionate about driving change for marginalized communities, developing Oscar’s Culturally Competent Care Program- reducing healthcare disparities and improving access for the underserved population. Tamara holds a B.A. from the University of Cincinnati’s and M.B.A from Miami University.
Dr. Peter Walsh joined the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing as the Chief Medical Officer on December 1, 2020. Prior to joining HCPF, Dr. Walsh served as a Hospital Field Representative/Surveyor at the Joint Commission, headquartered in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois.
