Valerie Barton

Valerie Barton, Senior Vice President, leads Avalere’s Data & Analytics Practice. This practice designs and conducts analytical research studies for government, industry, foundation, and not-for-profit clients. The work spans data strategy; health economics and outcomes research; value-based payment system alternatives; Medicare, Medicaid, and private payer claims and cost report analysis; survey design; and legislative scoring.

Ms. Barton joined the firm in 2004 to advise clients on the implementation of the Medicare outpatient prescription drug benefit. In 2005, she launched the Data & Analytics Practice and has built a team of more than 20 researchers and analysts.

Prior to joining Avalere, she was a Senior Manager with The Lewin Group, where she directed large, multi-year projects on hospital payment and staffing, evidence-based medicine, and medical technologies for both private and public sector clients. Ms. Barton has nearly 15 years of experience in Medicare payment policy, having worked at both the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on legislative scoring and at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to develop and launch Medicare prospective payment systems for hospital outpatient departments, skilled nursing facilities, and inpatient rehabilitation facilities.

Ms. Barton holds an M.A. in Economics from the Pennsylvania State University and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Pittsburgh with a B.A. in Economics and East Asian Studies.