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NORC at the University Chicago

Rachel Carnahan

Senior Research Director
Health Care Programs
Rachel is an experienced project manager and survey researcher with expertise in multi-mode survey implementation and research dissemination and assistance.

Rachel is a skilled project manager with extensive experience managing large-scale, multi-faceted health care-related projects and surveys. Rachel’s responsibilities include managing all aspects of a project; developing and managing schedules and budgets; facilitating OMB and IRB approvals; identifying potential challenges and developing proposed solutions; weekly and monthly reporting; directing project teams; authoring memos and reports for delivery to clients; and developing and managing study protocols.

In over 10 years at NORC, Rachel has experience on wide-ranging health care and data collection projects. On the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Rachel manages the Dissemination & Assistance team which encompasses website content management, Central Distributor operations, user support, and publications review. Rachel also currently leads the implementation of a large, nationally representative, multimode survey consisting of paper, web, and phone modes for the Assessing Social and Community Environments with National Data (ASCEND) for Veteran Suicide Prevention.

On the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey, Rachel held several roles related to questionnaire development and data collection, including managing the addition of the Patient Reported Indicator Surveys (PaRIS) as a supplement to the MCBS survey. Rachel has also led surveys of Medi-Cal beneficiaries in California, Oregon home care workers, and Next Generation ACO beneficiaries.

Project Contributions

Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS)

The most comprehensive source of data on Medicare spending and the evolving needs of beneficiaries

Client:

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Medicaid Drug Price Transparency & Access Learning Collaborative

Helping Medicaid state agencies identify cost-containment strategies for prescription drugs

Client:

Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)

The nation’s most comprehensive source of hospital care data

Client:

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Evaluation of the Next Generation Accountable Care Organization Model

Assessing CMS’s innovative ACO model to improve outcomes and reduce costs for Medicare beneficiaries

Client:

Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Evaluating Oregon Health Authority’s ARPA Spending on HCBS Programs

Assessing the impact of American Rescue Plan Act funding on home- and community-based services

Client:

Oregon Health Authority

California Health Coverage Survey FAQ

An annual survey to inform improvements in California’s health insurance marketplace

Funder:

Covered California

ASCEND for Veteran Suicide Prevention

A recurring national surveillance study to inform efforts to combat Veteran suicides

Client:

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Rocky Mountain Mental Illness, Research, Education and Clinical Center for Veteran Suicide Prevention