Health Policy and Administration Alumni Updates
Matthew Lester
What are you doing today?
Currently,
I am working for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Philadelphia
as a senior consultant in the Healthcare
Consulting Practice. Our practice has consulted for health care
organizations ranging from hospitals, insurance companies,
physician practice plans, academic medical centers, and others.
Our services are as diverse. We have provided services in
the areas of reimbursement assistance, operations improvement,
research administration, strategic planning, coding, outsourcing…and
the list goes on. For more information, please visit our website
at: www.pwchealth.com
I have not worked with any other firm since graduating. However,
I have worked for several academic medical centers providing
services in research administration during my time at PwC.
I have been involved in overall financial diagnostics, strategic
planning, operations improvement, IT and system analysis,
and compliance reviews. On the client side, I have made presentations
to vice presidents and CFOs and have worked directly with
several division directors.
How has HPA helped you get where you are today?
One of
the main advantages of the dual MBA and MHA degree program
is the insight into health care specific issues and dynamics.
Through the program, I gained an understanding of the operational
and political environments of hospitals; business principles
in relation to payors, providers, consumers, and government;
and policy changes and their subsequent effect on business
practices.
I find that in communicating one-on-one with the client's
management, having the MBA and MHA training becomes apparent.
A client once told me that it was nice to have consultants
who understood the health care environment and could provide
value-added recommendations for their business.
Completing the MBA/MHA degrees in 21 months is challenging,
but I believe that it has provided me the foundation for my
success today.