Top State Officials Join Sellers Feinberg

Firm Adds Industry Experts from Pennsylvania and Wisconsin        

PHILADELPHIA (December 7, 2006) ~ Sellers Feinberg & Associates announced today the addition of two former state healthcare officials to its staff.  Patricia Brady - former deputy secretary for Pennsylvania's Office of Long Term Living, and Margaret Kristan - former director of Health Information and Policy for Wisconsin have signed on as senior consultants at one of the leading healthcare consulting and government relations firm in the United States.

Since 2004, Pat Brady has served in several key positions under Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell - most recently as the Deputy Secretary for the Office of Long Term Living in the Department of Public Welfare.  Prior to her latest appointment by the governor, Ms. Brady was the director of the Bureau of Longer Term Care (LTC) Programs for Pennsylvania where she established herself as a top state authority on providing cutting-edge LTC solutions to the Commonwealth.  While there, she integrally supported Pennsylvania's extensive efforts to significantly address the specific needs of its residents requiring long term care. 

Under Ms. Brady's strategic guidance, the Commonwealth initiated a number of data-driven, LTC initiatives including a benchmark study on demand and supply to help PA prepare for the aging baby boomer generation. This first-of-its-kind study and projection model will be an invaluable long-term planning tool for the Commonwealth's home and community-based nursing facilities. 

In anticipation of PA's growing LTC population, further state program enhancements achieved during Ms. Brady's tenure include the development of an infrastructure for home and community-based services, budgetary oversight and efficient use of state resources, seeking federal financing participation and negotiating nursing facility reimbursement changes to support efforts that provide consumers with the choice between receiving care at home or in a nursing facility.

Ms. Brady looks forward to the opportunities ahead of her as part of a national healthcare consulting firm also keenly interested in bringing innovative solutions to the healthcare marketplace.  She will be based in Sellers Feinberg's Harrisburg office and support both the firm's public and private sector clients.  "I am excited that I will now be able to use my public and private sector experience to help other states and private businesses tackle their healthcare challenges," states Brady.

Marty Sellers, CEO of Sellers Feinberg agrees.  "As we work with governors and others in modifying their strategies for Medicaid and covering the uninsured, we see that they are increasingly willing to creatively accomplish healthcare reform that provides real-world results.  People like Pat Brady and Margaret Kristan typify those with the exceptional talent to originate solutions that successfully combine public policy mandates with private sector objectives." 

Margaret Kristan, with more than 20 years of experience administering state healthcare programs and policy for both Republican and Democrat Administrations in Wisconsin, is an industry expert proficient in the design, development and implementation of state-level programs that serve low-income or uninsured individuals. Before joining Sellers Feinberg, Ms. Kristan was the director of the State of Wisconsin's $200 million high-risk health insurance program, the Health Insurance Risk Sharing Plan (HIRSP). 

HIRSP provides health insurance to Wisconsin residents unable to obtain health insurance through the commercial market because of pre-existing medical conditions, who are on Medicare because of disability, those who have HIV/AIDS and those who qualify for coverage under federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability (HIPAA) regulations.    There, she directed all aspects of plan operations, including state and federal regulatory compliance, benefit design and administration, pharmacy benefit management and administration, financial management, claims processing and customer service.  She was instrumental in saving the program millions of dollars by taking advantage of the opportunity to establish the plan as a state pharmacy assistance program under Medicare Part D.

In addition, Ms. Kristan also served as the Director of the Wisconsin's Bureau of Health Information and Policy.  During her tenure, she directed the state's vital records system as well as the collection and analysis of all public data on the uninsured. 

Sellers Feinberg is a market-leading U.S. healthcare consulting firm specializing in creating transformational change in public healthcare programs.  Sellers Feinberg professionals strategize the design and implementation of original and inventive solutions for the healthcare industry, government, private sector and advocacy clients. The firm provides innovation in five key areas: Medicaid reform, revenue maximization, healthcare purchasing/cost containment, strategic consulting and government relations. 

In addition to its headquarters in Philadelphia, Sellers Feinberg has offices in Austin, Texas; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Madison, Wisconsin and is located online at www.sellers-feinberg.com.

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