Collaborating To Transform Healthcare
We partner with clients using a data-driven approach to identify and overcome barriers that prohibit optimal health and well-being for individuals and communities.
Our extensive array of skills and experience assists organizations in developing strategies that provide meaningful value and insight to support the populations they serve
Yael M. Harris, PhD, MHS
Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Yael Harris, PhD, MHS, is the Founder and CEO of Laurel Health Advisors. Dr. Harris has over three decades of experience designing and leading national and local programs to improve quality and access to care in underserved communities, reduce healthcare disparities, facilitate interoperability among health care systems, and improve rural health systems with a focus on patient-centered design principles that are informed by community needs assessments.
During her 16-year career within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Yael served in leadership positions at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA), and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH). As Vice President of Health Research at the American Institutes for Research (AIR), she oversaw a large team of researchers conducting projects for federal, state, and local clients.
Yael is a nationally recognized leader in long-term and post-acute care, quality measurement, telehealth, interoperability, rural health, health disparities, mental/behavioral health policy, healthcare associated harms, and opioid use disorder. Yael has received national recognition for her work from HHS. She has over two-dozen publications and is a highly sought-after public speaker who has spoken at numerous national conferences.
Jason C. Goldwater, MA, MPA
President & Chief Operating Officer
Jason C. Goldwater is currently the President and Chief Operating Officer for Laurel Health Advisors, LLC, where he oversees business development, operations, and client delivery activities. Mr. Goldwater has been in the field of health information technology (health IT), quality measurement, rural health, and health services research for 27 years and has led a number of projects on research and evaluation of health IT on access to care, electronic clinical quality measure development and implementation, Medicaid payment, and health care reform. Mr. Goldwater most recently served as a Senior Research Scientist at Index Analytics, LLC, where he served as a Technical Lead for the Qualified Entity Certification Program (QECP).
Mr. Goldwater has written and spoken extensively in the areas of telehealth, blockchain, quality measurement, and digital health, and how it can impact populations such as the homeless and the chronically ill. He also serves as a peer reviewer for journals such as Health Affairs and the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. Mr. Goldwater also spent a decade with the Federal Government, designing software applications to assess the quality of care for older adults in nursing homes and hospitals; examining how State Medicaid data could be used for public health; and how to incorporate public health initiatives, such as immunizations, into State Medicaid programs. Mr. Goldwater has both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Emerson College and a Master’s of Public Administration degree from Suffolk University.
Our Skills and Expertise
Data Collection & Analysis
Surveys
Developed survey instruments for the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), eHealth Initiative, Disabled American Veterans, and the District of Columbia, among many others.
Focus groups & interviews
Designed protocols and facilitated over 150 focus groups for public and private clients; conducted over 1000 key informant interviews.
Administrative data
Expertise in collecting, managing, and analyzing claims, encounter, and clinical registry data to develop robust insights for organizations.
Data warehousing
Experienced in the development of data warehouses using cloud-based technologies (AWS Redshift), using ETL tools to transfer data, and using OLAP to create rich insights to guide research for public organizations, universities, and private enterprise.
Interpreting Research
White papers
Authored white papers for private clients (Oracle, IBM Watson Health), non-profit organizations (Centers for Telehealth and eHealth Law) and public clients (HHS, DoD) for both marketing and policy analysis.
Issue briefs
Developed issue briefs for public and private clients on topics such as telehealth fraud, opioid abuse, health disparities, maternal morbidity, and rural health.
Literature and environmental reviews
Established criteria and abstracted information for systematic literature reviews for HHS, DoD, and private clients such as IBM Watson Health.
Quality Measurement
Measure Development Lifecycle
Proficiency in clinical quality measure lifecycle from development to testing to endorsement. Established e-measures for primary, inpatient and post-acute care, including specific topics such as telehealth, women’s health, and contraception.
Use of Measurement Tools
Skilled in clinical quality language (CQL), the Measure Authoring Tool (MAT), the Quality Data Model, the BONNIE tool, and QRDA (I and III)
Public Reporting and Utilization of Quality Measures
Facilitated creation of CMS Compare sites for Hospitals and Nursing Homes. Designed and disseminated report cards and dashboards to identify benchmarks and customize technical assistance.
Patient-Reported Outcome Performance Measures (PRO-PMs)
Contributed to development of PRO-PMs across several clinical areas, including hypolipidemia, ALS, and small-cell carcinoma.
Strategic Leadership
Strategic Planning
Established strategic plans for HHS, State of Oklahoma, District of Columbia, Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC), and advised private entities on creation of new business lines.
Thought Leadership
Spearheaded development of a comprehensive data dictionary for telehealth analysis, refinement and enhancement of prescription drug monitoring plans (PDMPs), guidelines to reduce adverse drug events and hospital-acquired infections, including opioid over-prescribing.
Regulation Writing
Oversaw development of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy and security rules and Meaningful Use regulations.
Policy Interpretation
Developed and presented syntheses of pending policy and regulatory provisions including Congressional bills, notices of proposed rulemaking, final rules, and Federal guidance.
Analytics
Advanced analytics
Experienced in numerous statistical and machine learning analytical methods using tools such as R, Python, Tableau, SAS, and Stata.
Data visualization
Expertise in developing visuals to transform data into meaningful insights using tools such as Seaborn, ggplot, Tableau, Adobe Illustrator.
Business Development
Proposal and Grant Writing
Authored numerous award-winning contract and grant proposals for procurements from Federal, state, local, and foundation clients
Laurel Health Advisors exists to solve the critical issues facing our clients, both large and small. Our unique approach is not only what differentiates us, but also what makes us successful. We provide a broad range of services and solutions to help organizations facilitate change, achieve their vision and optimize performance and productivity.
CLIENTS
Our Current Client List
