Christopher Sellers
Coosada
Summary
Accomplished leader with over 25 years extensive experience with state agencies to requlate healthcare qulaity in Alabama, excelling in data analysis and stakeholder engagement. Proven track record in grant writing and program evaluation, successfully reducing lead poisoning prevalence through strategic initiatives and improving quality of health outcomes for children, seniors, women of child-bearing age and those with behavior health issues. Adept at fostering inter-agency collaborations and driving process improvements to enhance public health outcomes.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
Work History
Director, Office of Analytics
Alabama Department of Mental Health
06.2019 - Current
- Establish and maintain working relationships with multiple public and private organizations so that the work and mission of the Mental Health Substance Abuse Services Division (MHSA) proceeds without hindrance
- Serve in a strategic role to improve clinical care and outcomes for the MHSA to allow for data-driven policy decisions
- Investigate trends and rates and provide analysis so that stakeholders are informed
- Provide expert consultation toward the development of MHSA software solutions to provide assurance of data collection needed for achieving data-proven quality outcomes
- Serve as the Project Director for the Bureau of Justice Assistance Public Safety and Public Health Information-Sharing Partnerships (BJA) Grant so that grant requirements are met
- Identify financial sources and appropriate resources to support Centralized Data Repository (CDR) sustainability
- Develop and report analyses focused on improving usefulness of the Alabama Opioid CDR for stakeholders
- Develop and direct the BJA Grant to coordinate day-to-day operations of the CDR
- Recruit executive leadership commitments to support the CDR
- Maintain executive relationships and coordinate interagency collaborations
- Prepare and present reports before Alabama Opioid Overdose and Addiction Council and CDR contributors/participants as requested so that stakeholders are informed
Senior Healthcare Analyst
Alabama Medicaid Agency
11.2016 - 06.2019
- Served as senior healthcare analyst to coordinate analytic projects to better inform agency administration of program performance and quality of health indicators
- Supervised and coordinated research staff
- Developed and presented individualized training sessions regarding use of epidemiological and statistical methods
- Met with senior administration to review status of analytic projects and their impact upon other agency operations
- Coordinated analytic projects to ensure support for agency goals in a timely manner
- Reviewed analyses prior to distribution for accuracy, soundness, format and message
- Independently led analytic projects with external partners
- Partners included the third-party administrator, regional home health entities, and other state agencies
- Managed and directed the development and implementation of healthcare quality measure reports bridging information technology and analytic processes
- Interpreted measurement specifications
- Collaborated with measurement steward to refine techniques to produce measures for more meaningful interpretation
- Guided incorporation of measure specification changes as necessary
- Ensured agency reports, including but not limited to healthcare quality measurement and program enrollment, were accurate, timely and interpreted to provide meaningful information to guide policy decisions
- Oversaw functions that planned, designed and conducted research to aid in interpretation of claims and enrollment data
- Responsible for identifying and undertaking the completion of special projects
- Integrated Medicaid claims data with other relevant data from internal and external sources to provide departmental scorecards, dashboards and ad hoc reports showing high-level results and trends
- External data included the state’s immunization and birth certificate registries
- Developed awareness of and familiarity with issues and events affecting Alabama Medicaid program areas supporting the Managed Care Program
- Assisted in preparing and with implementing operational protocols and operating procedures
- Monitored financial data to analyze trends in cost
- Provided expert consultation in workgroups or other committee meetings related to Agency program changes
- Led discussions of data used to inform and monitor progress of Medicaid payment reform initiatives
- Created database design reporting tools, IT system architecture, data definitions and standardized measure specifications with the goal of delivering quality healthcare efficiently
- Convened regular meetings with Medicaid's fiscal agent to ensure that data was being collected accurately and efficiently
- Identified irregularities in data collection and processing
- Led discussions with fiscal agent to remedy irregularities
- Interpreted federal, state and agency policy to ensure operational compliance
Director of Data and Evaluation
Alabama Department of Public Health
01.2008 - 11.2016
- Served as program Data Manager to provide Departmental leadership with performance and quality data reports
- Supervised data and evaluation staff in order to assure all tasks and responsibilities were carried out in a satisfactory manner, providing expertise and supervision in a clear and precise manner so that performance was thoroughly observed, accurate appraisals and appropriate training were provided and program goals were achieved
- Trained staff to use epidemiological and statistical methods
- Supervised and directed analysis of ALL Kids, Alabama’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) claims and survey data using the application of epidemiological principles to detect clusters of cases and monitor trends of various disease categories and evaluate therapeutic interventions utilizing appropriate statistical packages
- Managed CAHPS health plan survey activities to assess consumer experience with ALL Kids
- This included preparing the procurement document and determining vendor selection
- Coordinated weekly status meetings with vendors to ensure appropriate progress was being made and developed alternate strategies as needed to remain compliant with national specifications and federal regulations
- Monitored all financial activities associated with project
- Proofed all print materials
- Collaborated with vendors to develop methods and analytic reports
- Managed health analytics vendor relationships
- Prepared procurement documents
- Coordinated training for all program users
- Coordinated monthly status meetings
- Guided analytic insight projects
- Developed and managed all special projects associated with vendor
- Monitored all financial activities associated with vendor
- Developed and implemented quality of care studies for multiple disease-specific cases such as children with asthma, autism, diabetes, etc
- Coordinated health services research projects with the University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Assisted with design and implementation of research projects
- Proofed all print materials
- This collaboration resulted in five (5) health services research papers being published in peer-reviewed journals
- Prepared related contract and data agreement documents
- Monitored all financial activities associated with the contracts
- Supervised and directed surveillance activities by establishing procedures to analyze claims to detect clusters of cases needing further investigation and evaluation
- Managed staff responsible for ad hoc claims analyses to investigate utilization and financial measures associated with the health plan
- Collaborated with the evaluation team in developing and analyzing evaluation measures for all ALL Kids studies and projects
- Led re-development of historical report suite to more accurately reflect program status
- Conducted ongoing quality review of program data
- Served as state lead to manage program participation in a federal CHIP evaluation project for report to Congress
- This included preparing all contract and data sharing agreement documents, preparing and transmitting data files to partners and coordinating multi-site site visits and shareholder interviews
- Participated in three multi-state monthly workgroups of CHIP/Medicaid colleagues to represent program in development and improvement of quality measures
- Directed data analysis on episodes-of-care for disease specific cases to ascertain improved health outcomes of children
- Developed and enhanced methods to report children’s healthcare quality measures for reporting to CMS
- Collaborated with health plan administrator to prepare suite of HEDIS measures for program
- Provided expert consultation for various external Departmental activities
- Co-lead for statewide Community Health Assessment in support of Department’s public health credentialing; coordinated supportive analytic duties among various Bureaus
- Served as senior epidemiologist on three Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response activities in junction with CDC staff
- Served as Department representative and voting member of Alabama Medicaid’s Regional Care Organization Quality Assurance Committee responsible for determining panel of healthcare quality measures
- Prepared reports of selected statistics and findings for dissemination to ALL Kids staff, ADPH officials, other state agencies, ALL Kids Advisory groups and partners, and the general public
- Managed Lotus Notes-based Data Request System to manage and document all data and information requests for the program
- Created and enhanced data collection systems to augment the quality, quantity and timeliness of reporting systems
- Chaired bi-weekly administration/information technology meetings to coordinate IT support for CHIP system and data needs
- Supervised monthly quality review of enrollment data
- Provided primary technical support for application processing audits and dual program enrollment investigations
- Served as quality manager for program enrollment/eligibility system
Director of Analysis
Alabama Department of Public Health
03.2006 - 12.2007
- Trained staff regarding epidemiologic methods regarding outbreak investigation and analysis
- Provided technical support during outbreak investigations regarding epidemiologic methods
- Designed and managed a surveillance system to monitor school absenteeism to identify outbreaks
- Designed and managed statewide influenza surveillance system
- Published online and printed reports of trends of notifiable conditions
- Managed analyses and reporting of communicable disease data and investigation activities
- Led departmental participation with CDC-sponsored investigation and surveillance activities
- Provided surveillance training to clinicians, medical staff
Director, Alabama Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
Alabama Department of Public Health
06.2001 - 02.2006
- Administered statewide CDC grant across 3 bureaus and two project counties
- Wrote and managed grant coordinating multi-disciplinary approach to mitigate environmental lead hazards through improved surveillance and policy alignment of state and local entities
- Prepared all data analysis and prepared competitive grant proposal
- Used surveillance to refine targeted screening protocol
- Developed and presented professional education events for public health case managers and medical clinicians
- Developed and implemented case management referral and monitoring system assuring complete psychosocial and environmental assessments for cases of lead poisoning
- Collaborated with the adult lead poisoning program regarding events of occupational lead hazards impacting children
- Developed inter-agency work plan to reduce lead exposure and increase surveillance
- Convened stakeholder meetings that included both regional federal partners (OSHA, CDC, HUD), as well as, statewide and local entities and interest groups to coordinate multi-sector efforts to enhance surveillance of lead poisoning and hazards, treatment of lead poisoning and mitigation of lead hazards
- The resulting strategic plan had the goal of reducing lead poisoning to less an 0.5 percent prevalence
- Collected, analyzed and interpreted program activity data and lead poisoning data
Education
Certificate - South Central Public Health Leadership Institute
Tulane University
New Orleans, LA01.2012
Certificate - Public Manager I & II
Auburn University At Montgomery
Montgomery, AL01.2009
Masters of Public Health - Public Health, Epidemiology/Biostatistics
Oklahoma University Health Sciences Centers
Oklahoma City, OK05-1997
Bachelor of Science - Biochemistry
Oklahoma Christian University of Sciences And Arts
Oklahoma City, OK04-1993
Incomplete - Public Health
University of Alabama At Birmingham
Birmingham, ALSkills
- Data analysis
- Project management
- Statistical methods
- Grant writing
- Regulatory compliance
- Database management
- Stakeholder engagement
- Report preparation
- Program evaluation
- Epidemiological research
- Rules and regulations
- Process improvement
- Coaching and mentoring
- Analytical thinking
- Verbal and written communication
- Government relations
Publications
- McGaffey F, Mark T, Sellers C, Using Data and Core Common Metrics to Drive Improved Outcomes and Equity in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment, Conference presentation, 11/01/23, NCQA Health Innovation Summit, Washington, D.C, United States
- Palmieri J, Rabideau S, Sellers C, Transforming Behavioral Health Crisis Care, Conference presentation, 11/03/22, NCQA Health Innovation Summit, Washington, D.C, United States
- McGaffey F, Mark T, Koppleman J, de Jesus M, Sellers C, It’s Time for States to Measure the Effectiveness of their OUD Treatment Systems, Journal article, 01/24/23, Health Affairs Forefront, https://www.healthaffairs.org/forefront
- Hudnall M, Lewis D, Parton J, Sellers C, Lessons Learned from Developing a Statewide Research Data Repository to Combat the Opioid Epidemic in Alabama, Journal article, 08/2022, Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association Open
- Sen B, Blackburn J, Aswani MS, Morrisey MA, Becker DJ, Kilgore ML, Caldwell C, Sellers C, Menachemi N, Health Expenditures Concentration Among CHIP Enrollees: What Can We Learn About High-Cost Utilizers?, Journal article, 2016, Inquiry, 53
- Becker DJ, Blackburn J, Kilgore ML, Morrisey MA, Sen B, Caldwell C, Sellers C, Menachemi N, Enrollment and Utilization Following CHIP Expansion: Evidence from Alabama, Journal article, 05/15, Academic Pediatrics, 15, 3, 258–266
Affiliations
- Regional Master, American Duplicate Bridge League
- Member of Evangelical Lutherans Church of America, Civic Engagement Taskforce
Timeline
Director, Office of Analytics
Alabama Department of Mental Health
06.2019 - Current
Senior Healthcare Analyst
Alabama Medicaid Agency
11.2016 - 06.2019
Director of Data and Evaluation
Alabama Department of Public Health
01.2008 - 11.2016
Director of Analysis
Alabama Department of Public Health
03.2006 - 12.2007
Director, Alabama Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
Alabama Department of Public Health
06.2001 - 02.2006
Certificate - South Central Public Health Leadership Institute
Tulane University
Certificate - Public Manager I & II
Auburn University At Montgomery
Masters of Public Health - Public Health, Epidemiology/Biostatistics
Oklahoma University Health Sciences Centers
Bachelor of Science - Biochemistry
Oklahoma Christian University of Sciences And Arts
Incomplete - Public Health
University of Alabama At Birmingham