Derek Barber has more than a decade of experience in financial auditing and analysis, financial and cost accounting, program and policy evaluation, and fraud investigations. 

Derek served as chief audit executive for the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES). He also oversaw several audit teams, including the team designated to conduct audits of home and community-based services (HCBS) claims for DES’ Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD). During his tenure with DES, Derek oversaw multiple performance and information technology (IT) audits, including detailed studies of DDD’s licensing practices for HCBS providers, claims adjudication controls and practices, and IT system processing controls. Prior to joining DES, he held positions with increasing responsibility in public sector auditing, financial crimes investigations, and business analysis. 

At Burns & Associates, now a division of HMA, Derek has developed detailed statistical and financial reports; conducted data analysis; assisted with the design, administration, and analysis of numerous provider surveys; and conducted regulatory and policy analysis. He has completed fiscal impact estimates, developed rate models, and provided additional post-implementation support to several states in which Burns & Associates successfully completed rate studies. He also has provided research and analytical support to several community needs assessments and childcare market rate studies. 

Derek earned a Master of Business Administration from Grand Canyon University. He holds active certifications as a certified internal auditor and a certified government auditing professional with the Institute of Internal Auditors. 

As a professional in the intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) field with over 35 years of experience, Michael has established and maintained positive relationships throughout the United States with governmental, social/human services, advocacy, religious, and other business leaders.

He has served in a variety of positions including director of population health in Medicaid Managed Care, behavior management coordinator, executive director and regional director in program services, and he is the former executive director of The Arc of Nebraska.

Michael has worked to create effective supports with other disability advocates and fields of service. He has served on the Governor’s I/DD Advisory Committee, the Brain Injury Advisory Committee, the Nebraska Consortium of Citizens with Disabilities, the State Rehabilitation Committee, and as a statewide advisor to People First Nebraska. He is president of the Nebraska Transition College.

 

Barry Smith has 18 years of experience with financial analysis and data mining as well as providing a wide range of analytical assistance to state agencies.

Since joining Burns & Associates (B&A), now a division of HMA, he has provided data analysis and support for the Indiana external quality review (EQR) annual report as well as the annual report to the legislature on Indiana’s Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP).

His work has also included assisting in the development of data elements and the production of over 200 hospital-specific profile reports for the Ohio Department of Medicaid. In addition, Barry was the lead analyst on an independent evaluation of access to home and community based service providers for the employed persons with disabilities and intellectual and developmental disabilities populations in Arizona Medicaid’s (AHCCCS’s) program after a statewide minimum wage increase. The report was delivered to the legislature in February 2018.

A data power user, he utilizes Application Programming Interface (API) and mapping software to geocode and calculate driving distances to build heat maps for report deliverables and serves as the survey administrator for many online surveys.

Prior to joining B&A, he worked for a large mortgage lender where he was responsible for managing a staff of six and training outsourced staff from India. His variance analysis was responsible for recovering over $1 million in mispriced loans.

Barry earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Arizona. In his free time, Barry and his wife enjoy watching their two boys play baseball and spending time hiking up in the cool pines of Arizona.

Debbie Saxe is a seasoned healthcare leader with a vast amount of state policy, research, and operations experience across a wide variety of topics. After serving as a subcontractor, she officially joined Burn & Associates (B&A), now a division of HMA, in 2018.

She spent more than two decades serving in various health policy and rate setting capacities with the Ohio Medicaid program, including five years as the bureau chief for Health Plan Policy. In that role, she assisted in the design of Ohio’s alternative benefit plan for Medicaid expansion, managed the team responsible for a managed care organization (MCO) procurement, assisted in gaining Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approval for a 1115 waiver, participated in activities related to Ohio’s State Innovative Model grant, and led teams developing initiatives and conducting analytics related to annual budget submissions to the executive branch.

Debbie has served as the project manager of B&A’s Indiana substance use disorder (SUD) evaluation engagement, assisting in the development of the Evaluation Design Plan, monitoring protocol, and quarterly and annual monitoring reports.

Debbie also participated in development of the Indiana SUD Interim Evaluation and MidPoint Assessment, including conducting focus group interviews with managed care entities, providers and beneficiaries. Debbie is also serving as the project manager for a Delaware 1115 evaluation engagement, including leading the development of the Evaluation Design Plan. Her other related work includes conducting focus studies as part of B&A’s external quality review organization (EQRO) engagement with Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration, managing and writing the required Access Monitoring Review Plan for Ohio and Louisiana Medicaid, which included development of the analytics plan, and playing an instrumental role in B&A’s report to Louisiana’s legislature on MCO claims processing.

Debbie earned a Master of Health Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Allied Health Professions from the Ohio State University.

On the weekends, Debbie enjoys spending time with her husband and three dogs and gardening.

Ryan Sandhaus has nearly 15 years’ experience using SAS^® to perform complex data analytics within the healthcare industry. His work has included projects using large Medicaid claims datasets, member eligibility files, and provider files that range from hospital rate setting and rate evaluation, to access to care and report validations. Most recently, Ryan became the data manager and measures developer for all portions of an evaluation of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) substance use disorder waiver.

Prior to joining HMA, he worked for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ) within the Informatics Department as a statistical modeler where he supported multiple predictive modeling projects. He brings a robust background in advanced analytics, forecasting and predictive modeling within the healthcare industry.

Ryan has a Master of Science in statistics from Arizona State University and graduated with his bachelor’s degree in business administration-marketing from the University of Missouri, St. Louis.

In Ryan’s spare time, he enjoys being a dad and spending time at Lake Powell with his family. He also likes running several times a week as part of training for an annual 10k race.

Akhilesh Pasupulati is a data driven programmer and analyst who has been using SAS^® products for analysis for more than 10 years. He has significant experience in SAS^® programming related to data extraction, cleaning, formatting, and transforming data from large medical claim datasets, member eligibility files and provider files.

Akhilesh’s work with Burns and Associates, now a division of HMA, has included rate setting, evaluation, and focus study projects for four state Medicaid agencies. His key projects have included serving as the lead SAS^® programmer on the required Access Monitoring Review Plan for Ohio and Louisiana Medicaid, and for a report to Louisiana’s legislature on managed care organization (MCO) claims processing. In addition, Akhilesh conducted the analyses related to focus studies like Transitions to Care for Indiana SUD evaluation and Medication Adherence for the Indiana external quality review engagement.

His past work also includes utilizing SAS^® programming skills working for CVS Health and for American Express. While at CVS, he worked extensively with pharmacy claims and member eligibility data to provide timely communications to members regarding their prescription medications. He was also part of the enterprise analytics team in the pharmacy benefit management division and was responsible for building marketing campaign dashboards for the leadership teams.

Akhilesh earned his Master of Science degree from City University of New York (CUNY).

Outside of work Akhilesh enjoys hiking and biking with his family and friends.

With more than 13 years of expereince in programming and data analysis, Jesse Eng has worked on rate setting projects, Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measurement compilation, and focus studies related to the evaluation of public programs in six states.

Jesse has held positions including lead programmer for multiple inpatient rate setting projects and served as the lead analyst for projects using 3M’s All Patient Refined (APR) and potentially preventable readmissions (PPR) grouping software. He developed rates using the resource-based relative value scale (RBRVS) methodology and currently serves as the lead SAS^® programmer for several data analytic projects with long-standing clients.

Prior to joining HMA, Jesse worked for American Express as a programmer and data analyst developing skills in financial analysis, predictive modeling, and quantitative analysis. He also worked for the North Dakota Department of Transportation.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from North Dakota State University and is a Certified SAS^® Programmer.

In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, playing video games, and enjoying the nature trails of Arizona.

With nearly 20 years of experience with rate-setting, policy review, financial analysis, and data mining, Steven Abele is a nimble healthcare finance expert.

Before joining HMA, Steven worked as a consultant with Burns & Associates, Inc. and in other capacities supporting a variety of projects in for various Medicaid-related agencies in a number of states across the country, including assisting the State of Arizona in a review of contracting processes for Intellectual and developmental disabilities services.

Prior to his consulting career, Steven worked for a large tertiary hospital, where he developed expertise in revenue performance monitoring, performance improvement, financial analysis, and admitting and patient financial services.

Steven earned his master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Kansas and his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Wichita State University.

Steven and his wife love to dine, hike, and travel when possible.