Stroudwater Associates Announces the Expansion of its Data & Analytics and Provider Strategy & Operations Teams

PORTLAND, Maine - May 7, 2024 - PRLog -- Stroudwater Associates, the nation's leading source for strategic, operational, financial, and clinical strategy for rural and community healthcare, announces the expansion of its Data & Analytics and Provider Strategy & Operations teams with promotions and additions of new members.

The Data & Analytics team expands with the promotion of team member Paula Knowlton and the addition of Dahlia McGrath.

Knowlton, now serving as the team's Senior Manager, works closely with many State Office of Rural Health leaders, and was pivotal in developing the Swing Bed Quality Reporting and Swing Bed Gap Analysis Tool. These tools help Critical Access Hospitals optimize clinical programs and manage, track, and benchmark post-acute measures.

McGrath serves as the firm's Project Coordinator, and supports the Data & Analytics team with the Stroudwater Analytics platform. McGrath recently was a key contributor in the development of Stroudwater's State & Congressional District Profiles Dashboard, an integrated data visualization sharing information about healthcare infrastructure, workforce, outcomes, and equity/social determinants of health within each state and congressional district.

"Data and analytics are at the forefront of the work we do with rural and community hospitals," said Stroudwater Associates Managing Director Jeff Sommer, MPP. "The expansion of the data & analytics team speaks to Stroudwater's strength in understanding data sources, how to use them, and then develop solutions to improve outcomes for rural and community hospitals."

In addition to the growth of the data & analytics team, the provider strategy & operations team welcomes Shad Ritchie, MHA, FACMPE, as a Senior Consultant. Ritchie supports clients in provider compensation design, ambulatory practice operation analysis, and affiliations and partnerships. With 25 years of experience serving providers, Ritchie will enhance Stroudwater's ability to support rural provider compensation strategy and compliance.

"In 2023, in collaboration with the data & analytics team, the provider strategy & operations team launched the first-of-its-kind The State of Rural Provider Compensation Survey and published its corresponding results," said Sommer. "With Shad joining the provider team, we'll be able to continue to build on the important work that both teams are doing in helping rural hospitals understand provider compensation strategy, benchmarks, and alignment."

To learn more about Stroudwater, visit www.stroudwater.com.

About Stroudwater Associates

Founded in 1985, Stroudwater Associates is a leading national healthcare consulting firm with an all-encompassing devotion to rural healthcare nationwide. With corporate offices in Portland, Maine, and Nashville, Tennessee, and experience working in all 50 states, our employee-owned firm focuses on strategic, operational, clinical, quality, and financial areas where our perspective offers the highest value for rural hospitals, community hospitals, healthcare systems, and large physician groups. Our consulting teams offer deep expertise and broad experience in strategic, financial, clinical, and operational areas.