Who We Are

Pierre joined HPA in 2008 after more than 13 years providing legal and legislative drafting services with respect to U.S. health entitlement laws and other areas of federal law. In 2005, Pierre formed his own company providing policy analysis, procedural counsel, and drafting services for clients seeking assistance in developing legislation involving Medicare and Medicaid payments to providers and suppliers as well as for clients seeking improvements in health care services and other benefits under law for service members and veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. Until 2005, he served as assistant counsel in the Office of the Legislative Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives, where for ten years he provided policy analysis and drafted legislation in the areas of Medicare, Medicaid, veterans’ benefits, and the U.S. intelligence community. He previously served as a judicial clerk for a U.S. Tax Court judge. He earned a law degree from the Dickinson School of Law and his B.A. from Middlebury College.

Thomas joined HPA in 2013 after 10 years of federal government experience. Prior to joining the firm, he was an assistant director for Health Care at the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO). In this role, he was responsible for assisting the Congress in developing reports and testimonies on a wide range of health care topics including Medicare payment and financing issues, Medicare program integrity, and the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense health care systems. Thomas also has served as deputy director for the Center for Sustainable Health Spending at Altarum Institute. In this role, he led research projects involving the macroeconomics of health spending, workforce, prices, and long-term fiscal sustainability. He also served as practice area leader of Forecasting and Economic Analyses at Altarum, conducting and supporting economic analyses for government and private sector clients, including analyses of new diagnostic technologies, among other responsibilities. His background includes health economics, program evaluation, and other quantitative and qualitative methods. He earned a Master of Science in Public Health and a Ph.D. in Health Policy and Administration from the University of North Carolina School of Public Health.

Marc joined HPA after 26 years with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Marc held several management and staff positions during his time at CMS, most recently as the director of the Hospital and Ambulatory Policy Group. At CMS, Marc was central to the development of the Medicare Severity DRGs, the 2 midnight rule, Medicare policy for off-campus hospital outpatient departments, the misvalued code initiative, and regulations to implement Medicare’s new clinical laboratory fee schedule among other policies. Marc’s experience not only gives him detailed knowledge of the workings of the executive branch of government, he also has worked extensively with the legislative branch. He has assisted in the drafting of legislation, working with the Congressional Committees that have subject matter jurisdiction over Medicare. Marc has a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs and a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from the University of Vermont.

Jessica joined HPA in 2023, after nearly 19 years of nonpartisan work with the Office of the Legislative Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives, advising and guiding Leadership, Committee, and Member offices of the House in analyzing, drafting, and amending Federal health care legislation throughout the legislative process, from policy development of proposed legislation through introduction, Committee markup, Floor consideration, and conference. In that role, she served as the lead health counsel and drafter focusing on Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, private group and individual health insurance markets and reforms (including with respect to ERISA plans, IRC plan enforcement, and Public Health Service Act title XXVII enforcement), COBRA assistance, ACA Exchanges and reforms, Federal health insurance program fraud, waste, and abuse prevention, health information technology, the 340B program, and HIPAA. With respect to Medicare policy, areas included quality incentive and reporting programs, inpatient and outpatient benefits and payment systems, the Medicare Advantage program, and the prescription drug program. Jessica earned a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and her B.A. from the Johns Hopkins University.

Prior to joining HPA in 2024, James was Executive Director of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) from 2017 to 2023, after having served for nearly a decade as the Commission’s Deputy Director. In these leadership roles, James provided policy advice and analysis to the Congress and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that informed the development of major pieces of Medicare legislation and regulation. MedPAC’s recommendations under James’ leadership helped shape changes to Medicare’s payment policies for drugs, hospitals, and post-acute care providers contained in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, the new rural emergency hospital designation in the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021, and the restructuring of the Medicare Part D benefit in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. He is also a recognized national expert on Medicare Advantage.

James has held a variety of management and analytic positions throughout his career in health policy, having served with the office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the Prospective Payment Assessment Commission, the Office of Management and Budget, and CMS.

James was named one of *Modern Healthcare’s* 100 most influential people in health care in 2021 and 2022. He earned Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate degrees from the University of Chicago.

Terri joined HPA in 2025 after 20 years of federal service with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Immediately prior to joining the firm, Terri was a Medical Officer and Senior Advisor at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), where she led health policy development and implementation of agency value-based purchasing (VBP) efforts—most notably, the Medicare Shared Savings Program and the Hospital Price Transparency Initiative. In that role, Terri led on various issues of interest to CMS and other federal partners, including by evaluating new technology payment add-ons; developing proposals for annual rulemaking as well as for the annual President’s Budget; reviewing and evaluating data in neurological device applications seeking FDA approval; briefing White House and Congressional committee staff on updates to CMS VBP efforts and policy changes; preparing technical advice for pending legislation; providing ex officio guidance for NIH grantees; and responding to public health emergencies such as Ebola, COVID, Zika, the opioid crisis, and other issues with clinical and national security implications. Terri’s research experience includes five years of conducting basic and clinical neuro-psychopharmacological studies at the National Institutes of Health and three years providing neuroscience research expertise and guidance to the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory. Terri earned her medical doctorate from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and completed her residency in neurology at the University of Kentucky, where she served as Chief Resident. 

Marjorie joined HPA in 2011 after 14 years in the federal government. Immediately prior to joining the firm, she was the managing director for Health Care at the Government Accountability Office (GAO). In that role, she was responsible to Congress for testimonies and reports covering the complete range of health care issues. She also provided leadership for implementation of portions of health care legislation. Before moving to the GAO in 2001, Marjorie worked at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and held a variety of positions including deputy director for Medicare Payment Policies and deputy director for Medicare Contractors. In these positions, she provided leadership for development and implementation of Medicare payment policies and related program integrity issues. Before entering government service, Marjorie was a medical director at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. In that role, she was responsible for developing local medical review policies for several Medicare products and was involved in national committees focused on physician payment. Marjorie’s medical background includes both academic and clinical components. She was NIH-funded in the field of immunology. She held a faculty position at the Harvard Medical School and was faculty in pediatric gastroenterology at the Massachusetts General Hospital. She trained in pediatrics and pediatric gastroenterology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Marjorie earned a Masters in Public Health with a concentration in health care management from the Harvard School of Public Health. She earned her M.D. from the University of Kansas.