Cathy Homkey is a health system transformation expert with direct knowledge and experience in rural health. She specializes in designing, implementing, and refining service delivery innovations, including value-based payments and Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) programs.

Cathy guides her clients every step of the way by identifying strategies, developing a plan, cultivating strong alliances among partners, creating governance structures, building sustainable financing models, designing systems across providers, developing infrastructure, implementing system changes, and creating performance measurement mechanisms. She effectively engages hospitals, physician practices, behavioral health providers, community-based organizations, government, patients, and payers aligning strategies and solutions across partners to achieve long-term success.

An accomplished leader in improving healthcare systems, Cathy served six years as chief executive officer for the Adirondack Health Institute (AHI), a nonprofit joint venture including four hospitals and a federally qualified health center, focused on reforming the delivery system within the rural nine-county Adirondack region in upstate New York. In collaboration with Medicaid, Medicare, and seven commercial payers, Cathy launched the Adirondack Medical Home Pilot, one of eight nationally recognized as a Multi-Payer Advanced Primary Care Practice Demonstration. The pilot successfully elevated the quality of care, improved the patient experience, reduced costs, and paved the way for a new clinically integrated accountable care organization (ACO) and the New York State Health Home Care Management Initiative.

Focused on population health management, Cathy transitioned the AHI clinical and rural health network to a performing provider system, doubling unique partners within one year to 1,400. She secured a $2.1 million DSRIP planning grant and $187 million in DSRIP funding over five years to convene stakeholders, overhaul governance, and establish a leadership and operational framework that ensures both system accountability and partner-level performance.

Cathy restructured and nurtured the growth of AHI, executing a progressive five-year strategic plan resulting in expansion of board membership; a focused and balanced portfolio in three programmatic areas – community health services, health systems transformation, and administrative services; and growth in annual revenue by more than $7 million.

Cathy earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Trinity College. She served on the New York Rural Health Council, New York State Health Foundation Community Advisory Committee, and Adirondack’s ACO board of directors.