Marci Nielsen, former executive director at the Kansas Health Policy Authority, announced today that she has accepted a similar position with the national Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC) in Washington, D.C.
“There is so much energy and so much momentum behind patient-centered care and patient-centered medical homes right now. I really want to be part of it,” Nielsen said. “I want to make sure that as we move forward, we’re using data and promoting models that work for patients, providers and payers. I want the transformation to be thoughtful.”
Nielsen, who lives in Lawrence, said she’ll start her new position in early January.
Marci Nielsen
She plans to rent an apartment in Washington and return to Lawrence on the weekends.
PCPCC members include more than 800 major employers, consumer groups, organizations representing primary care physicians and other stakeholder groups.
“It’s a small association in terms of staff,” Nielsen said, “but a big association in terms of membership.”
According to the organization’s website, PCPCC was formed in late 2006 by several large employers that wanted to work with the nation’s physicians to come up with a more effective and efficient model of health care delivery. PCPCC has since become one of the nation’s most active advocates for patient-centered medical homes.
“We are delighted to engage this experienced, thoughtful and passionate advocate for primary care,” Dr. David Nace, chairman of the PCPCC board of directors, said in a prepared statement.
“Marci has experience working with industry, labor and consumer groups and understands the value of collaboration to achieve shared goals,” Nace said. “Her sustaining energy and devotion to health policy, in combination with her experience at the federal and state levels, will be a valuable addition to the PCPCC.”
Nace is vice president and medical director of the McKesson Corporation, a pharmaceutical distributor and health care information technology company.
Nielsen, 46, has a doctorate in health policy management from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and a master’s degree in public health from George Washington University.
Her interest in public health began while serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand and matured through a staff position with U.S. Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Nebraska. She also served as assistant director of legislation for the AFL-CIO.
Nielsen was executive director at the Kansas Health Policy Authority from July 2006 to July 2009.
“Looking back, I can honestly say that those were the most challenging years of my career,” she said. “But they were also some of the most rewarding. I just really, really hope that lawmakers take a long, hard look at all the information we put together and use it to guide policy decision. And I hope those decisions are data-driven.”
The health policy authority, once a quasi-independent state agency charged with administering the state’s Medicaid program, is now the Division of Health Care Finance within the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Nielsen left the health policy authority to become vice chancellor for public affairs at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, where she’s currently an associate professor of health policy and management and an associate dean for health policy.
Earlier this year, she was named professor of the year for the Department of Health Policy and Management.