Jodi Pekkala, MPH

Managing Director, Quality and Accreditation

Health Management Associates

New York, NY

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(212) 575-5929

Jodi Pekkala is an experienced researcher in healthcare quality measurement and improvement with more than 20 years dedicated to analysis, evaluation, quality improvement, and practice transformation.

She has developed, deployed and evaluated projects related to performance improvement for both health plans and providers. She has demonstrated success leading quality strategies, focusing on the integration of performance improvement goals and value-based care initiatives, especially in support of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and their unique financing arrangements. She has a strong background in quality metrics, including Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) and Uniform Data System (UDS), and data analysis to support this work.  

During her career, she has provided practice coaching and practice transformation to Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) and primary care practices of all sizes including solo providers, FQHCs, and large, hospital-based practices on topics related to telemedicine, access to care, care management, referrals and care coordination, and quality improvement. As a Patient-Centered Medical Home Certified Content Expert™ (PCMH CCE™) she has helped primary care practices navigate the various stages of transformation and quality improvement via individualized onsite technical assistance as well as coordinating group virtual and in-person learning events. 

Jodi has also worked extensively with health care providers and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) to expand their capacity to measure, track and improve care provided. She has developed trainings and resources to comprehensively support the basics of quality measurement, improvement and evaluation for health center and CBO staff to prepare them for measuring care, communicating and demonstrating value to managed care organizations, and participating in value-based payment arrangements.

Previously, Jodi served at an external quality review organization (EQRO), where she reviewed the design and implementation of quality improvement initiatives for Medicaid and managed care programs. She was also a certified HEDIS compliance auditor (CHCA), annually auditing and certifying health plans’ HEDIS submissions to allow their submission to the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and State Medicaid programs.

Her work also includes a variety of population-specific projects including services to adults, children, aged, blind and disabled, and persons with chronic conditions. This work has included research and evaluation projects focused on both qualitative and quantitative methodology.

Jodi earned her master’s degree in public health at Columbia University and her bachelor’s degree in athletic training and exercise science from Ithaca College. She is a Patient-Centered Medical Home Certified Content Expert™ (PCMH CCE™) and is an Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) certified Improvement Coach.