The why of any company can be as important as the who, where and how. With this lens, we recently spoke with Laurel Health Advisors’ CEO, Yael Harris, an IT leader with 25 years of experience guiding research, developing interventions, and providing technical assistance and information dissemination to advance access, quality, payment reform, and other policies to transform health care delivery, including experience directly working at CMS, HHS and HRSA to advance the use of health IT to improve health care access and quality.
Founded in Commitment
Beyond Yael’s extensive history supporting Federal healthcare focused agencies, Laurel Health Advisors also brings to the table the experience and commitment of President and COO Jason Goldwater, whose career includes nearly a decade within CDC and CMS and an extensive resume working with private organizations to support the missions of Federal health agencies.
“Our shared experience has focused on health care access and quality with a special emphasis on underserved populations, including [those from different] racial, ethnic, geographic and also marginalized communities such as LGBTQ. Being able to focus on advancing health care in vulnerable communities inspired our decision to launch Laurel Health Advisors in 2021 so we could focus on work that we are passionate about.”
Noting their valuable experiences to date, establishing Laurel Health Advisors enabled Harris and Goldwater to continue to engage with colleagues they appreciated and respected, and to pursue opportunities directly aligned with their mission, regardless of project size.
And, as with many mission-oriented companies, there is a personal component: Yael personally was inspired by her father, a dentist in the 1980s who provided care to the LGBTQ population at a time when other dentists would not because of fears of acquiring HIV.
A Perfect Storm
Focusing on the use of technology, data, and innovation to drive quality and access, Laurel Health has found success through both competitive opportunities as well as referrals from peers, building on the niche capabilities they offer to clients either directly or as subcontractors to larger businesses. “Our focus on detail, on the use of data-driven information to inform solutions, and then operationalizing those solutions to impact outcomes, is key. It is not just about what we find but what it means and how that information can then be used.”
Working alongside partners and clients, Laurel Health prides itself on engaging clients in a two-way dialogue and thoughtful discussions, offering insight and expertise to assist the client in optimizing the impact of their program.
Among Laurel Health’s accomplishments was a national study on the impact of telehealth on costs, quality, and access. “The project was initiated before the pandemic; however, data collection coincided with the start of the pandemic. Over a 9-month period we acquired data from 1.6 million telehealth encounters for non-COVID-related services across the United States. This generated a very robust set of findings of telehealth use across all payer types – data that does not exist anywhere else. The analysis provided a detailed view of the various types of services, conditions being treated, care recipients, and the cost effectiveness of telehealth, including its environmental impact.”
Having presented the paper to the White House and Congress, the team later learned that the findings helped influence the Consolidated Appropriations Act and the decision to extend Medicare coverage of telehealth for two more years to allow further studies on the impact of telehealth to be carried out.
The Continuity of Health Inequity
Inequities in health have always existed but rose to prominence during the pandemic. Not wanting the conversation to be turned away before the issues are resolved, Laurel’s leadership team is focused on taking advantage of opportunities created by current policy windows, to identify and implement solutions that can make a difference.
Part of that difference will come, not just from how technology can address disparities, but how to avoid having the same technology potentially exacerbate some of the issues. “Part of the issue is understanding the components necessary for access including who has a technology device, is able to effectively use it, and how the technology is being used. It is also about user testing to ensure the end user can and will use a potential telehealth solution, that it makes sense, and is easy to operate.”
“We’re constantly learning what works and what doesn’t and the best thing we can do is to keep moving forward, keep learning. We all have the best of intentions, but we need to learn, to evolve, and to evaluate to ensure we’re achieving the intended goals.”
Mentoring the Next Generation
Through an internship program, Laurel Health Advisors brings in several graduate students, sharing their passion while learning from the interns. “Along the way we make sure they understand why they are doing what they are doing, and the potential impact of their work.”
While she says the day to day work may not all be glamorous – consider conducting a 10-year literature review focused on a specific set of topics for instance – the interns work alongside Laurel Health staff, in lockstep at every turn so they are intimately involved with what is happening and realize the importance of the work.
“There is always an ultimate question we are trying to answer. You may go in with one research question, but you also need to understand the bigger picture and how your research can inform and drive policy. It is also about the wealth of data that is available and how you use it to tell a story. We use both quantitative and qualitative methods to ensure what we are doing is relevant and actionable for our clients.”
Moving the Needle
After taking a leap of faith during the pandemic to launch Laurel Health Advisors, this team is leveraging what it has learned, the mentorship they have received, and focusing on project that will have an impact.
“We are interested in teaming with and working with people who are looking to take advantage of the information, the data, the technology that’s out there and turning it into something that’s really going to have an impact. Whatever research or studies we may conduct, ultimately our goal is to take that information and turn it into action with a specific focus on health equity and improving quality for underserved populations.”
About Laurel Health Advisors
Laurel Health Advisors is a woman-owned small business that provides a data-driven approach to identify and overcome barriers that prohibit optimal health for individuals and communities of all types. The company’s extensive experience in data science enables it to assist organizations with developing strategies to provide meaningful value while identifying insights about the populations they serve. The company is led by Dr. Yael Harris and Mr. Jason Goldwater, who collectively bring over four decades of experience designing and leading national programs to improve quality; access health care services for all members of society; reduce healthcare disparities in vulnerable or underrepresented populations; facilitate interoperability between different types of systems; and to support health care needs – ranging from developing strategies that measure performance through improving overall programmatic performance. During their careers within HHS, Yael served in leadership positions at CMS, ONC, HRSA, and the Office of the Assistant Secretary while Jason oversaw projects at CMS, the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, and CDC.
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