Health Policy Center, independent research for better health policy: The Urban Institute

Kelly J. Devers, Ph.D. is a Senior Fellow in the Health Policy Center at the Urban Institute. Her main areas of expertise are provider payment and competition, the organization and delivery of care, and their impacts on access, cost, and quality.

Dr. Devers’ current research focuses on national and state health policy reform proposals, particularly as they relate to provider payment (e.g., pay-for-performance) and delivery system reform (e.g., patient-centered medical homes, accountable care organizations); hospitals’ and medical groups’ efforts to improve efficiency and quality (e.g., through reengineering processes such as Lean/Toyota Production Systems, Six Sigma and through broader and better use of electronic health records and other health information technology); and an evaluation of the National Cancer Institute’s pilot of a Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP), which is testing the concept of a national network to expand cancer research and deliver the latest, most advanced cancer care to more Americans in their home communities.

She has published widely in major journals of health services research and policy, while also acting as a peer reviewer for federal and foundation grants, serving on editorial boards, editing a book and special journal issue, speaking widely, and in 2008-09 advising the presidential transition team.

Prior to joining the Urban Institute, Dr. Devers was an Associate Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, and before her academic position she worked at the Center for Studying Health System Change and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.