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Team Maverick

Julie Barnes, J.D.

Founder and Principal, Maverick Health Policy

Julie Barnes is a strategic adviser to organizations that need guidance about federal health policies and how to develop relationships with policymakers and influential advocacy organizations.

As a former policy analyst, health care attorney, and Capitol Hill staffer, Ms. Barnes can inform business strategy and investments in a myriad of health care areas, including health information technology, data privacy and interoperability, value-based care, transparency, health insurance and new payment models, and federal health programs.

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Paige Kobza

Senior Policy Analyst at Maverick Health Policy

Paige Kobza is a senior policy analyst with Maverick Health Policy. She works closely with our payer, trade organization, and technology vendor clients to help them better understand the fast-paced and quickly evolving healthcare innovation policy landscape. Paige has experience advising our clients and supporting multi-stakeholder groups on issues like price transparency, interoperability, health equity, artificial intelligence, and federal health programs with a focus on Medicare Advantage.

Paige received her B.A. in Public Policy and Leadership from the University of Virginia.

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Ashley Progebin

Policy Fellow at Maverick Health Policy

Ashley Progebin is a Fellow with Maverick Health Policy. She supports our clients by researching issues related to payers and providers, health equity, drug manufacturing, and price transparency in addition to monitoring regulatory and legislative activities reshaping the industry.

Prior to this role, Ashley gained exposure to a range of policy areas intertwined in healthcare systems, including life sciences research, financial enforcement actions, and election law, working in various positions at law firms.

Ashley received her B.A. in Psychology, Neuroscience, and Philosophy with a minor in Linguistics from Washington University in St. Louis.

Senior Policy Advisers

Christine Bechtel

X4 Co-Founder, Social Impact Designer, Fixer, Advocate

Biography

Christine Bechtel is the co-founder of X4 Health, a strategic consulting firm. Her experience includes a six-year term representing consumers on the federal Health IT Policy Committee, which crafted interoperability policies for HHS. She co-founded the groundbreaking GetMyHealthData campaign, a national initiative that exposed what happened when consumers used their HIPAA rights to request their health data in electronic formats. She also co-created the Health Record Wizard online records request tool. Christine has held executive leadership roles at the National Partnership for Women & Families, the eHealth Initiative, the American Health Quality Association, and AARP. She started her career working on the legislative staff of a U.S. Senator.

Nathan Buttrey

M.Ed., Corporate Development at Altitude Ventures

Biography

At Altitude Ventures, Nathan focuses on cultivating deal flow and the firm’s network of healthcare payer, provider, and industry partners, as well as adding strategic and operational value to the firm’s portfolio companies. Before joining Altitude, Nathan served in various leadership roles at HIT recruiting and project management firm, Staffing as a Mission, and in the Office of Constituent Services for Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam.

Marci Nielsen, PhD, MPH

Health policy strategist & executive leader

Biography

With over 30 years of experience in health policy, advocacy, and executive management, Marci Nielsen is the “Swiss Army Knife” of health policy. Marci served in several high-level and influential positions, including the CEO of a non-profit primary care health association, the chief advisor for Kansas Governor Laura Kelly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the vice president for policy and advocacy for former CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden’s global public health non-profit organization. Currently she serves as senior consultant for Policy & Public Engagement at The Center for Professionalism and Value in Healthcare in Washington, DC (part of the American Board of Family Medicine) and provides government affairs analysis and support to the Government Employee Health Association (GEHA) headquartered in Kansas City.  

My Maverick

MyMaverick is a subscription service that provides access to analysis and news across the health technology policy landscape. We tell you what is happening, why it matters, and how to adapt your strategy in as much (or as little) detail as you need.

Free Maverick Blog

Keeping up with health information policy doesn’t have to be boring – our free newsletter blends pop culture with each week’s news to update you on only what matters on price transparency, interoperability, privacy, and more. Access our archive on the Maverick’s Update tab.