Amy Wodarek O’Reilly

Amy Wodarek O’Reilly’s work focuses on using person-centered methods to identify innovative strategies to improve operations for Medicaid and CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program).

Most recently, she directed Mathematica’s Medicaid and CHIP Learning Collaborative project to help develop high-performing state health coverage programs. In this capacity, she has led engagements to seek rapid consensus on strategies for improving the administration of state programs through a facilitated peer learning environment. On the Medicaid and CHIP Access project for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Wodarek O’Reilly oversaw the development of CMS’s person-centered access strategy for Medicaid and CHIP, which included conducting environmental scans on beneficiary and provider access issues and outlining a conceptual model for access to care. She has worked extensively with agencies on program performance, operations, analytics, and data quality, prioritizing the development of a technical assistance and training events for federal and state agencies administering Medicaid and CHIP.

As the parent of a child with medical complexity, Wodarek O’Reilly has lived experience coordinating services and support for a child living with terminal diagnoses, so that her child and family could thrive. This experience inspired her to put patients’ and families’ voices at the center of her professional work. Her career embodies the spirit of “nothing about us, without us,” which holds that all policy should be informed by those most affected by it. Recently, she served as the parent representative on the board of directors for A Rosie Place for Children, a respite center that serves children and youth with special health care needs. She participates in medical, quality, and workforce subcommittees and holds an M.P.A. from the Ohio State University.