The HPM Team

About the HPM Team

HPM offers senior-level experts who work with a range of client organizations that provide Medicaid services to underserved, high-risk populations across the nation in settings ranging from rural to urban. Our senior team has expertise in Integrated Care Management including physical and behavioral health, social supports and Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS)/Home and Community-based Services (HCBS).

Meryl F. Price, Executive Consultant, MHSA

As the founder of Health Policy Matters (HPM), Meryl designs, develops, implements, and improves integrated care management programs and managed care service delivery for states, Behavioral Health (BH) organizations, Community-based Organizations (CBOs), Federally Qualified Health Centers, Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MMCOs) and Dually Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) and foundations. Meryl collaborates with clients to identify and solve design, regulatory, policy and operational challenges to optimize program performance. Meryl’s work is known for:

Managing and Supporting System Transformation: Meryl has provided hands-on Technical Assistance (TA) to FQHCs, CBOs, BH and foundations to help them navigate complex reforms like DSRIP (NY), and MassHealth (MA) behavioral health and Accountable Care Organization (ACO) programs and CalAIM (CA). Meryl’s skills are broad and deep; she has a special interest in care management design including policy and program development, and integrated workflows, practical policies, sustainable budgets, and value-based strategies for high-risk populations.
Winning Growth and Innovation Strategies: Meryl has spearheaded over 20 successful MMCO and D-SNP proposals over two decades including DSRIP applications, a competitive FIDA conversion to D-SNPs valued at $6.8 Billion dollars, and Request for Proposals (RFPs) driven by a focus on integrated care management and value-based payment models.
State-Based Program Architecture: A pioneer in integrated care, Meryl was the lead architect of the Massachusetts’ Senior Care Options (SCO) Program—one of the nation’s first efforts to blend Medicare and Medicaid capitation. Other state-based design efforts have focused on Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) and Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) in Michigan, the Children’s health Insurance Program (CHIP) in Colorado, and Primary Care Case Management (PCCM) in Connecticut.
Innovation for Community-Based Organizations: Meryl collaborates with community-based organizations to develop and implement innovative care designs including telehealth services for an FQHC to deliver specialty care, medically tailored meal services for Food is Medicine (FIM) projects and service expansion of a home health organization, among others.

Kelvin Drawdry, Senior Strategy, Financial and Data Consultant

Kelvin has 28 years of experience in healthcare services delivered with an emphasis on providing technical assistance regarding financial management and business operations. Kelvin supports physician organizations, hospitals, health systems, and behavioral health organizations as well as MCOs and ACOs. He is an experienced and effective leader and coach who helps clients develop synergies between physician and hospital organizations among others. In addition to creating financial models and analytic tools to perform complex analysis, Kelvin creates value-based models that transform reimbursement methods for providers and others.

Kelvin’s critical skills include:

Thought leadership in finance, operations, network and reimbursement strategy
Financial and data design, analysis and execution
Financial modeling
VBP model development and implementation
Executive coaching on strategic business relationships.

Naomi Weinstein, Senior Consultant

Naomi Weinstein has spent over 30 years working to ensure high-quality, accessible, and impactful health care services are available to all, with a particular interest in substance use and mental health for low-income populations. Her experience includes more than two decades working in direct care settings with responsibilities ranging from policy development to technical assistance, from program design to program operations, and from training to the creation of clinical tools and resources for providers. Naomi has worked in hospital, FQHC, provider association and research and evaluation settings. Together, these experiences have provided Naomi with an understanding of how programs work on-the-ground, and what policies and structures are needed to support the creation and maintenance of successful health care programs.

Naomi’s work has included both local and national projects, focusing especially in New York, California, and Texas, working to support individuals who are receiving treatment for addiction and mental health including justice involved individuals. Throughout all of these experiences, Naomi’s priority remains improving quality and care, cross-system coordination, and access.