Gretchen is associate director of health care evaluation research, providing technical direction, conceptual design, and financial and quality oversight to projects for government and nonprofit clients. Gretchen has led systematic reviews, qualitative comparative analyses, survey analyses, and portfolio analyses, and has overseen the analysis of health care claims data. She has conducted hundreds of in-depth interviews and focus groups with program participants, community members, health care administrators, and clinical leaders and staff. Gretchen has written and presented on mixed methods in health policy research, cross-sector collaboration, and care transformation for people who are underserved in health care. Her research appears in peer-reviewed publications and other formats designed to reach policymakers and practitioners.
Gretchen maintains an active research portfolio in accountable care organization (ACO) models, safety-net providers, and the intersection of health and public health systems. She leads mixed-methods research for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ ACO Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health (REACH) and the Next Generation ACO model evaluations. She serves as principal analytic lead for NORC’s contract with the Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation’s Office of Science and Data Policy. She directed technical assistance for states participating in the CMS State Innovation Model Initiative and synthesized implementation and impact results from CMS’ primary care transformation and accountable care portfolios for the Laura and John Arnold Foundation. She led a long-term evaluation of the Health Forward Foundation’s Safety-Net Capacity Expansion program.
Prior to NORC, Gretchen was a Merck fellow in health economics at the University of Chicago. She was also research director at the American Hospital Association’s Health Research and Educational Trust, where she led a research and technical assistance portfolio focused on hospitals and their role in public health improvement.
Quick Links
Education
MPP
The University of Chicago, Harris School of Public Policy
BA
Tufts University
Project Contributions
Publications
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The Impact of Next Generation Accountable Care Organizations on Medicare Costs
Research Brief | September 3, 2024
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opens in new tab"Next Generation Accountable Care Organization (NGACO) Model: Evaluation of Performance Year 1 (2016)."
Project Report | January 1, 2024
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opens in new tab"Next Generation Accountable Care Organization (NGACO) Model Evaluation: First Annual Report."
Project Report | September 12, 2018
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opens in new tab"Lessons in Primary Care Transformation: The Role of Organizational and External Features in Adopting Health Care Innovation across Five CMS Initiatives."
Project Report | April 30, 2018
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opens in new tab"Lessons in Primary Care Transformation: Implementation and Adoption of Health Care Innovation across Five CMS Initiatives."
Project Report | April 30, 2018
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opens in new tab"Evaluation of the Beacon Community Cooperative Agreement Program: Final Report."
Project Report | November 17, 2015
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opens in new tab"Effectiveness of Different Care Coordination Strategies to Move Chronically Ill Older Adults from Post-Acute Short-Term Skilled Nursing Facility Stays Back into the Community."
Project Report | February 17, 2015
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opens in new tab"Building and Strengthening Infrastructure for Data Exchange: Lessons from the Beacon Communities."
Journal Article | October 28, 2014