Brian Dees is a Senior Consultant with significant expertise in health care policy, Medicaid managed care program implementations, home and community-based services, MLTSS, and stakeholder relations. Drawing on years of experience in state government, Brian provides strategic advisory and research services for managed care organizations, Medicaid support vendors, providers, and governmental entities.
Brian, what brought you to Sellers Dorsey?
Prior to working at Sellers Dorsey, I was a senior policy advisor at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, working on policy and legislative analysis and helping implement managed care programs. After nearly a decade in public service, I was ready for a change of pace and eager for the opportunity to expand my health policy work to include the many states in which Sellers Dorsey has clients.
What’s your main area of expertise?
Much of my professional work has focused on Medicaid services and programs serving children and youth with special health care needs. During my time at the state, I helped design and implement a managed care program serving children with disabilities. Here at Sellers Dorsey, I have been able to bring that expertise to bear on a variety of client engagements.
Who are your typical clients?
I have had the opportunity to work with numerous types of clients, ranging from Medicaid providers to managed care organizations to public entities. The common thread of most of my client engagements is research – providing market analysis, program insights, and information on trends and best practices to inform decision makers on how to grow or evolve their program or business.
What have you worked on recently?
I recently completed a lengthy and fascinating project for a client related to comparative managed care organization financial performance. The project required a great deal of collaboration between our members of our team, our subcontractors, the client, and the client’s key stakeholders, and has potential to inform the client’s future business strategy.
What do you like about working at Sellers Dorsey?
The work is never the same and there is always something new to learn. Moreover, there are always new team members to learn from, especially as our practice continues to expand.
How has your work changed over time?
To be honest, the biggest change to my work and the way I work has been the birth of my daughter, Matilda, last March. I am fortunate to work at a company with policies that support new parents, and to work with a team here in Austin that is incredibly supportive of working parents. Being a new parent, though, has meant learning how to work smarter and more efficiently to get the most out of my work hours, so that I can be fully present and engaged with my family during my non-work hours. Striking that balance is not easy!
What is one important thing you have learned during your time at Sellers Dorsey?
Getting to work on health policy issues in states other than Texas has shown me just how complex the health policy field is. Each state, each program, each provider faces its own unique set of challenges. While it can be daunting to absorb the information required to understand the social, historical, political, and policy contexts that inform each of our clients’ needs, it is at the same time a fascinating endeavor.
