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Rachel Friedman Singer

Pronouns: She/Her

Principal Research Scientist
Rachel is an expert in qualitative data collection and analysis efforts for numerous large-scale national evaluations.

Rachel is a principal research scientist with over 15 years of experience as a health care researcher, specializing in qualitative research methods. At NORC, she leads qualitative data collection and analysis efforts for numerous large-scale national evaluations of payment and delivery system reform models for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). She also provides policy research and program support for various HHS agencies.

Her portfolio for the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) includes the evaluations of the Next Generation Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Model and the Vermont All-Payer ACO Model. Since 2014, Rachel has supported the CMS Office of Minority Health in planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating programs to improve health care quality for populations facing health disparities. For over 10 years, Rachel provided support to CMS through several contracts for the management of public reporting of hospital quality measures on Hospital Compare and the alignment of quality and public reporting programs and Compare websites.

Prior to joining NORC, Rachel worked at the Center for Home Care Policy and Research at the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, where she focused on quality improvement in home health care, particularly related to the role of home health aides. Rachel has also worked at the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), where she was involved in the development of the National Healthcare Quality Report.

Education

PhD

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

MPH

Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University

MPA

School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University

BA

Tufts University

Project Contributions

Older Adults and Caregivers in Public Health Emergencies

A study of the needs of older adults and caregivers during COVID-19 and resources to help them

Client:

CDC Foundation

Reducing Health Disparities Through Quality Improvement

Helping to embed health equity into Medicare and Medicaid services

Client:

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Office of Minority Health

Evaluation of the Next Generation Accountable Care Organization Model

Assessing CMS’s innovative ACO model to improve outcomes and reduce costs for Medicare beneficiaries

Client:

Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Publications