GAO Makes PTAC Appointments
WASHINGTON, DC (October 18, 2021) – Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), today announced the appointment of three new members to the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC).
“Congress directed the Department of Health and Human Services to shift Medicare from a program that pays based on volume to one that pays based on value. As part of this effort, PTAC can play an important role,” Dodaro said. “After reviewing this latest round of extremely well-qualified candidates, I am pleased to share our 2021 selections for the committee.”
The newly appointed members are Lawrence R. Kosinski, MD, MBA, AGAF, FACG; and Soujanya (Chinni) Pulluru, MD. Their terms will expire in 2024. In addition, Walter Lin, MD, MS, MBA was newly appointed to serve out the remaining term of the recently resigned Carrie Colla, PhD, which will expire in 2023. Current members Angelo Sinopoli, MD and Jennifer L. Wiler, MD, MBA have been reappointed, and their terms will expire in 2024.
Congress established PTAC in 2015 to provide comments and recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on physician payment models. The Comptroller General is responsible for appointing members to the committee.
For more information about PTAC, contact Lisa Shats, PTAC Designated Federal Officer, at PTAC@hhs.gov. Other calls should be directed to Chuck Young in GAO’s Office of Public Affairs at (202) 512-4800. Brief biographies of the new committee members follow:
Lawrence R. Kosinski, MD, MBA, AGAF, FACG, is the Founder and Chief Medical Officer of SonarMD, Inc., a value-based care coordination solution for complex chronic diseases. SonarMD was initiated as Project Sonar, the first PTAC approved Physician Focused Payment Model. Dr. Kosinski also serves on the Quality Leadership Council of the American Gastroenterological Association, where he was previously on the governing board. He has published extensively on value-based care and hosts a monthly podcast, the Scope with Dr. K, focused on achieving the quadruple goal of bringing patients, providers, plans, and payers together. Previously, Dr. Kosinski was a Founder and Managing Partner of the Illinois Gastroenterology Group, the largest private gastroenterology group in Illinois. A board-certified gastroenterologist who practiced for 35 years in suburban Chicago, Dr. Kosinski received his medical degree and fellowship training from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine and his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Walter Lin, MD, MS, MBA, is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Generation Clinical Partners, a medical practice focused on caring for frail Medicare beneficiaries in senior living communities. He also serves Medicare beneficiaries as the Medical Director for American Health Advantage of Missouri, an institutional special needs plan; Associate Medical Director for Prospero Health, a company providing home-based medical care for the seriously ill; and Medical Director of various skilled nursing and assisted living facilities. Dr. Lin is an active member of The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (AMDA), serving on its Public Policy Committee, representing AMDA on the CMS Unified Post-Acute Care Payment System Technical Expert Panel, and serving on the board of the Missouri Association of Long Term Care Practitioners. Prior positions include working as a healthcare venture capitalist and directing performance improvement initiatives for a large multi-state hospital system. Dr. Lin trained in internal medicine at Yale and earned his Doctor of Medicine from the University of California, San Francisco; Masters of Health and Medical Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley; Masters of Business Administration from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School; and Bachelor of Arts and Sciences from Stanford University.
Soujanya (Chinni) Pulluru, MD, is Senior Director II of Clinical Transformation, National Health and Wellness at Walmart, where she provides strategic leadership across clinical operations and transformation, leading omnichannel care delivery implementation. She has also overseen the organization’s COVID-19 response and Patient Safety Organization. In addition, Dr. Pulluru serves on the Board of Advisors for Stellar Health, a healthcare technology company focused on quality and efficiency for providers and insurers. Previously, she served as Executive Medical Director of DuPage Medical Group and as a Board member and Officer of the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians. Board-certified in Family Medicine, Dr. Pulluru received her Medical degree from MR Medical College in Gulbarga, India and has done her post graduate training at Hinsdale Family Medicine Residency, IL.
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