We Are Hands-On, Sleeves-Up Health Care Consultants 

Coral Health is a team of seasoned, mission-driven advisors who partner with changemakers across the health system to deliver sustainable, people-centered solutions. With deep roots in health policy, care delivery, and alternative payment models, our team brings the kind of cross-sector fluency and operational insight that turns complexity into confident, coordinated action.

Whether designing a drug pricing strategy, guiding value-based care transitions, or shaping bold health system reforms, Coral combines strategic clarity with sleeves-up partnership. We don’t just advise from the sidelines—we’re in it with you.

Meet the Coral Team

Our team includes former policymakers, care delivery leaders, strategists, and systems thinkers who understand how change happens and how to make it stick. We bring decades of experience across Medicare, Medicaid, FDA, and commercial health care.

Meg Koepke

Founding Partner

  • Meg Koepke, MHA, is a seasoned leader in government and the private sector, specializing in population health and value-based care. With expertise in CMS policy and strategic operations, she has led initiatives to expand alternative payment models and improve care for vulnerable populations. Meg holds an MHA from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

Melissa Cohen

Founding Partner

  • Melissa Cohen, JD, MPA, has held executive positions in government and private payers, leading teams specializing in alternative payment model design, contracting and implementation and network performance across Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurance. Melissa holds a JD from Fordham University School of Law and an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Maria Alexander

Partner & EVP

  • Maria Alexander has over a decade of experience in value-based care design and operations. As VP of Population Health Operations at Mount Sinai Health System, she oversaw various aspects of their clinically integrated network. Maria also spent six years at CMS, contributing to the development of the Pioneer ACO Model and other initiatives. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Tufts University.

Alison Falb

Partner

  • Alison Falb brings a unique and timely perspective on health care transformation across agencies to Coral Health Advisors. At the FDA, she worked on regulatory policies for biosimilars and generic drugs, while at CMS, she helped implement MACRA and shape alternative payment models addressing specialty care, episode-based payments, and drug pricing. Alison holds a JD from Fordham University School of Law and a BA from Brown University.  

Kate Freeman

Director

  • Kate Freeman brings over 12 years of experience in value-based payment and care delivery, with a strong focus on using data-driven approaches to enhance population health outcomes. Before joining Coral, Kate was the value-based payment expert at the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), where she led private sector advocacy and engagement efforts. Kate holds an MPH from DePaul University’s College of Science and Health.

Joy Chen

Director

  • Joy brings both public and private sector experience with extensive knowledge in value-based arrangements, particularly as it relates to primary care and long-term care. Prior to her role at Coral, Joy was the co-lead for the ACO REACH model at CMS where she managed ACO participation and implemented policy changes related to the model's financial and quality methodologies. She holds an MPH from the Yale School of Public Health.

Trevor Abeyta

Director

  • Trevor Abeyta is a seasoned health policy expert specializing in value-based payment and care delivery reform within Medicaid. Prior to joining Coral, Trevor served as the Payment Reform Director at the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing, where he led Medicaid’s transition to value-based payment. He oversaw the development, implementation, and operations of Colorado's APM 2 program, a primary care partial capitation model, as well as the Department’s maternity episode of care initiative. Trevor holds an M.A. from Colorado State University.

Maggie Thoele

Senior Consultant

  • Maggie Thoele has expertise in policy research, patient experience analysis, and managed care trends. With previous consulting experience at Alvarez & Marsal, Maggie excels in analyzing healthcare data and implementing quality improvement programs. Maggie holds a Master's in Health Systems Management from Rush University and a Bachelor's degree in Public Health from the University of South Carolina.

Andrew Petee

Senior Consultant

  • Andrew Petee brings extensive experience in health care communications and policy analysis. He has led efforts in digital marketing, content creation, and strategic messaging in roles spanning communications, public relations, and advocacy. With expertise in messaging, stakeholder engagement, and data-driven insights, Andrew drives value-based care and population health initiatives. He holds a BA and MA in Communication from Michigan State University.

Sarah Kolk

Consultant

  • Sarah Kolk brings experience in federal and state health policy, accountable care organizations, and health services research to Coral. As a Health Insurance Specialist at the CMS Innovation Center, she supported the Vermont All-Payer Model and AHEAD Model. Previously, Sarah was Special Assistant to the Editor-in-Chief at Health Affairs and staff for the Maryland Commission on Public Health. She holds an MPH from Johns Hopkins and a BA from Dartmouth College.

Emily Patterson

Consultant

  • Emily Patterson is a value-based care professional with expertise in health policy research and data analytics. At RTI International, she supported implementation of alternative payment models and evaluation of Medicaid waivers for CMS. She is experienced at translating data into evidence-based insights to transform care and cost. Emily holds an MPH from Johns Hopkins and a BA from St. Olaf College

Kody Koepke

Finance

  • Kody Koepke has dedicated his career to health care, with executive roles at both payers and providers over 17 years. His expertise is in data analysis, health care revenue cycles, and alternative payment models including capitation and ACOs. 

Our Allies In Action

We collaborate with professionals and organizations who share our passion for making health care better.  Our network includes subject matter experts in Medicaid policy, legal and regulatory support, data analytics, and population health transformation.

David Ault

  • David is counsel at Ropes & Gray, a distinguished legal practice renowned for their expertise in providing strategic counsel to intricate health systems, providers, and payers. He specializes in navigating the intricate landscape of regulatory frameworks, facilitating essential contracts, ensuring unwavering compliance, and skillfully handling litigation matters pertaining to the dynamic realm of health insurance.es here

Scott Strickland

  • Scott is a shareholder with Hall Render who advises health care organizations on issues relating to value-based care, fraud and abuse and the implementation of innovative health care delivery and payment models. Prior to joining Hall Render, Scott served as in-house counsel for a large, integrated health system, where he was lead counsel for the system’s clinically integrated network and Medicare ACO. Scott also worked in the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of General Counsel, CMS Division. Scott uses his unique combination of government and in-house experience to help clients find practical, compliant solutions to complex legal issues.

Tripp Hollander Advisors

  • Tripp Hollander Advisors, LLC (THA) is a premier consulting firm specializing in strategic planning, legal analysis, advocacy, and business development to enhance comprehensive, complex, high acuity care at home. With deep expertise in the hospital at home sector and related fields, THA assists clients in navigating complex legal and policy challenges to optimize care at home and drive innovation to expand reimbursable at-home care, devices, and services, particularly for underserved populations in both rural and urban areas. Led by nationally recognized attorneys Lisa Tripp and Shira Hollander, THA is dedicated to transforming the home and community-based healthcare landscape, aiming to create a patient-centered ecosystem that significantly improves the healthcare experience for all patients.

Aurrera Health Group

  • Aurrera Health Group’s nationally acclaimed, women-led team of experts are at the forefront of Medicaid and behavioral health policy. As a mission-driven firm with a deep understanding of federal and state Medicaid policies and delivery systems, insightful behavioral health expertise, and exceptional communication skills, the Aurrera Health team is dedicated to delivering comprehensive solutions and driving positive outcomes.

IAC

  • The Institute for Accountable Care (IAC) is a non-profit research and analytics firm that provides data-driven insights to organizations navigating value-based payment models. IAC is the official research partner of the National Association of ACOs (NAACOS), and it offers custom data analysis to ACOs and delivery systems. IAC has access to 100% of Medicare claims and analysts with unparalleled expertise in data analytics and statistical methods. Led by Rob Mechanic and Jennifer Perloff, IAC has extensive experience in federal health policy, shared savings models, clinical episode analytics and care model evaluations.

Eric Fennel

  • Eric is the founder and president of Value Strategies, LLC, an advisory firm that helps emerging healthcare providers and digital health solutions sharpen their product strategy and position themselves for success in value-based contracting. Eric has deep expertise in value-based care delivery and contracting models.  Eric previously oversaw network strategy and value-based provider partnerships at Aetna, a CVS Health company. Prior to Aetna, Eric led product strategy and operations for Evolent Health’s Value Based Solutions group, and was a key contributor at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) in its early days.

Katherine Schneider

  • Nationally known for her work in the field of accountable care and population health, Dr. Katherine Schneider's mission is to deliver better health, better care, and sustainable cost in the communities that we work in, live in, and serve. She believes passionately that the time has finally come for the business model of health care to align with care models that further this mission. She is a board-certified Family Physician and CEO of Two Canoes Health, LLC. where she helps organizations navigate strategy and develop products in value-based health care.

Hope Glassberg

  • Hope Glassberg is the founder and president of Decipher Health Strategies, a health care consulting firm. She has spent her career working on affordable health care access, with specific expertise in Medicaid reimbursement, value-based payment, and the integration of primary, behavioral health and social care. Prior to founding Decipher Health, Hope led strategy for New York’s largest federally qualified health center (FQHC), Sun River Health. Hope also served as Director of Public Policy at Montefiore Health System and worked at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Innovation and the Medicaid program.

Sai Ma, PhD

  • Sai brings over two decades of leadership experience across government, academia, research institutions, and the health insurance industry. She is a recognized expert in healthcare research and program evaluation, with more than 30 peer-reviewed publications, and has deep expertise in quality measurement, Medicare policy, population health, and value-based care.

    Sai has held pivotal roles in nationally recognized organizations, where she led initiatives to develop, apply and align quality and health outcome measures for two national private payers, evaluated quality measures at the National Quality Forum (NQF), and evaluated multiple Medicare Advantage models at CMMI. She also served as a subject matter expert for CMS on the MA-PD Star Ratings and CAHPS, helping to shape federal policy and performance measurement frameworks.

Pamela Pelizzari

  • Pamela is a Principal at Milliman, a global actuarial services firm. Pamela and the team at Milliman are renowned for their expertise in analyzing health care claims and pioneering the development of episode-based payment definitions and benchmarking methodologies. With their deep understanding of the health care landscape, Pamela’s team at Milliman offers invaluable insights and innovative solutions in the realm of payment systems. Their dedication to data-driven analysis provides an objective basis for healthcare organizations to successfully implement value-based care models.

John Supra

  • John, Managing Principal of Better Health Matters, believes that the health and well-being of our communities can be better. He has spent over 15 years as a healthcare leader developing and implementing technology and analytics solutions to support healthcare professionals in driving transformative change along the journey to value-based care. He works closely with ACOs/CINs to drive success in population health strategies and value-based care arrangements across all lines of business. John combines his health system, ACO/CIN, health plan, health and human services (public sector), and product development experiences to support teams that share a vision for a healthier future through process innovation and transformation that balances clinical and operational change, while consistently leveraging technology to accelerate change. He holds Bachelor’s and Master's degrees in engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Working At Coral

Coral is growing and we’re always looking for experienced leaders who thrive in complex environments and want to make practical progress toward a better health care future.

We Partner With

Government & Policy Makers | Health Care Delivery | Health Plans | Innovators | Life Sciences & Pharmacy

Core Service Areas

VBC Operations and Performance | Payment Model Design | Health Policy | Health Care Strategy and Operations | Drug Policy & Life Sciences Strategy

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