Amanda Tripp is a health economist with more than 20 years of experience in health policy evaluation, academic research and management consulting.
At Avalere, Amanda supports clients with data-driven analyses to understand and interpret the impacts of federal policies and regulations. She applies her experience evaluating Medicare alternative-payment models and other federal policies to support life sciences companies, payers, and providers.
Before joining Avalere, Amanda was a managing consultant at The Lewin Group, where she managed the Bundled Payment for Care Improvement Advanced evaluation and led quantitative analyses for the Oncology Care Model evaluation. Prior, she contributed to a multi-year evaluation of federal nutrition policies at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. Additionally, Amanda provided strategic consulting for healthcare providers and payers at Stax, Inc.
Amanda holds a PhD in health economics and policy and an MPH in health policy from Yale University, and a BA in international relations from California State University, Chico.
Authored Content
As new Alzheimer’s drugs are developed, increased plan liability pressures may shape future Part D plan management strategies
Across three therapeutic areas, an Avalere Health analysis identified commercial plan coverage policies with more steps than indicated by drugs’ FDA labels.
Across physician specialties, Medicare utilization and reimbursement data shows that site-of-care optimization can reduce expenditures for certain healthcare services.
Avalere Health’s analysis of early MPPP enrollment shows that only a small portion of beneficiaries who are likely to benefit from the program have enrolled.
Avalere Health assessed 18 CMMI models for their performance on financial and quality measures as well as the transparency of their development and implementation.
Analysis of Part D plans including step therapy in prior authorization and the frequency of step therapy criteria that include steps beyond the drugs’ FDA labels.
Overall coverage of MS drugs among Part D plans declined by six percentage points, from 49% of the time across all plans and drugs analyzed in 2024 to 43% in 2025.
A new agreement with CMS Virtual Data Research Center will support analysis of more recent Part A, B, and D claims with a focus on the impact of COVID-19.
Avalere finds that between 0.03% and 0.1% of Medicare FFS beneficiaries would experience lower OOP costs for the first 10 Part B drugs likely to be negotiated.
While the share of drugs covered on Part D formularies will increase slightly in 2025, more drugs will have coinsurance and utilization management.
The number of PDP and MA-PD options are declining by 26% and 7%, respectively, in 2025.
Avalere finds that between 0.1% and 0.2% of Medicare FFS beneficiaries would experience lower OOP costs for the Part B drugs subject to Q3 2024 inflation rebates.
Avalere analysis shows that there are substantial changes and variations in PDP formularies at the therapeutic area and regional levels from 2023 to 2024.
Avalere analysis finds that less clinically efficacious MS drugs have better coverage, more advantageous tiering, and lower UM compared to more efficacious drugs.
In 2023, 54% of Medicare Advantage enrollees were in plans that required step therapy for 10 commonly used rheumatoid arthritis drugs covered under Part B.
Innovation models will prioritize improving quality and redefine how quality is measured.
An Avalere analysis shows the use of drugs approved under the Accelerated Approval pathway across historically underserved Medicare beneficiaries.
Manufacturers should adjust commercial and evidence generation strategies in response to the shifted incentives under the IRA and Enhancing Oncology Model.
The CMMI’s EOM began on July 1 with 44 participants. A recent OCM evaluation report described net losses to CMS and lessons that can be applied to EOM.
Amid stakeholder speculation for the future of the EOM, CMMI continues to plan for July 2023 implementation and released key payment methodology details.
The EOM prediction model and benchmarking methodology are more precise than that of the OCM, which will heighten the ability of participants to directly manage costs, including oncolytic spend.
IRA would lead to a minimum 47% add-on payment reduction on average for Medicare providers who furnish the Part B drugs initially targeted for negotiation.
A new Avalere analysis shows the Accelerated Approval pathway provides access to underserved Medicare beneficiaries across a range of conditions with unmet needs.
Stakeholders should consider how the Enhancing Oncology Model’s design and incentives will impact cancer care management and treatment selection.
Avalere released a white paper analyzing spending and utilization among Medicare beneficiaries receiving care from independent physician practices and hospital-owned physician practices in Ohio.
Avalere analysis seeks to understand potential access to clinical trial sites by race, given the draft requirement to ensure diverse participation.
Thirty-one percent of rural Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease or a mild cognitive impairment diagnosis do not have access to a hospital outpatient department in their county, and fewer than 1% live near an Alzheimer’s disease research center.
New Avalere analysis finds that the latest version of Medicare negotiation in the Build Back Better Act (BBBA) would lead to a 40% cut on average for Medicare providers that furnish the Part B drugs that are likely to be initially targeted for negotiation.
CMMI’s impact on Medicare spending has not reached earlier projections by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), demonstrating the difficulty in projecting savings from untested and future unknown alternative payment models