The Washington, DC-based Health Policy and Payer Relations (HPPR) team is part of PAREXELs' Health Policy & Strategic Reimbursement business, which also includes Reimbursement Services (reimbursement helplines and patient assistance).
HPPR is a multidisciplinary group of policy and reimbursement experts who provide strategic insights and guidance to leading pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device clients. Our group includes seasoned professionals with years of experience in a wide range of healthcare-related professions including public program administration, advocacy, case management, market research, consulting, regulatory affairs, social work, and compliance.
For brief biographical sketches, please see below. To download complete biographies, please click here.
Christy is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Department’s reimbursement and patient assistance programs, supervising more than twenty reimbursement staff consultants. She also develops new programs and enhances existing programs. Additionally, Christy is responsible for tracking and analyzing reimbursement policies and coverage issues as they pertain to program pharmaceutical and medical technology products for both public and private third-party payers. She has extensive experience in writing and developing training materials, reimbursement guides, and brochures, and she has conducted numerous educational seminars on payer coverage of pharmaceuticals, Medicare and Medicaid regulations and third-party billing, and coding procedures for client sales force representatives, physician offices and outpatient clinics, pharmacies, and internal staff.
Becky currently supervises five reimbursement and patient assistance programs. Her responsibilities include managing a large reimbursement and consulting project for several vaccines, involving extensive research into many different aspects of health coverage, as well as an ongoing monthly survey of over 500 payers. She also has extensive experience in operating reimbursement and patient assistance programs for controlled substances and the special procedures required for this class of drugs. For a complete biography, please click here.
Ledia has been a reimbursement manager with PAREXEL (formerly with Pracon) since 1997. Prior to joining Pracon, Ledia served as a Case Management Supervisor at a consulting firm in Virginia under contract with the Social Security Administration. With over twenty years of experience in the healthcare industry, she has extensive knowledge of reimbursement programs, and is well-versed in all aspects of medical billing and claims processing. For a complete biography, please click here.
Antoinette Taylor -- Manager, Reimbursement Hotlines
Antoinette joined PAREXEL in 2001, and currently leads a team of analysts who provide the day-to-day research and processing services that comprise the Reimbursement HELPlines™. In this role she provides direction to analysts in their daily duties of insurance verification, insurance research for coverage policies, and assisting callers with writing appeal letters for denied services. Antoinette also has responsibility for an extremely active and productive patient assistance program, which makes possible the provision of free prescription medications to patients who are financially and medically eligible. For a complete biography, please click here.
Lori Turtiainen -- Manager, Reimbursement Services
Lori manages several hotline programs, ensuring that clients receive expert advice on third-party payer reimbursement, alternative sources of funding, and patient assistance. She is also responsible for daily client contact, generating and analyzing statistical reports, and reviewing claim appeals. In addition, Lori has developed and conducted training seminars on healthcare policies and billing practices for physicians, medical staff, and pharmaceutical sales representatives. For a complete biography, please click here.
ADDITIONAL STAFF MEMBERS
Ann Whitney --Director of New Market Development
In her current position, Ann is responsible for identifying and expanding client accounts through the development of creative initiatives and strategic solutions. Ann has over 20 years of healthcare experience, with six years of direct consulting experience within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries. She has worked extensively with pharmaceutical manufactures in analyzing and designing key support programs to support product launches, favorable product reimbursement, sales force efforts, and overall client goals. For a complete biography, please click here.
