Melody Craff
PhD, MBA, MD, MS, MA, FAHM
Vice President, Strategic Analytics and Education
Seattle, WA, US
Melody Craff is a healthcare consultant in the Seattle office of Milliman and leads MedInsight Strategic Analytics and Education services. She joined the firm in 2019. She specializes in real-time analytics, clinical and operational analysis, research and education, strategy development, and business transformation for health care organizations.
Melody works with clients to help them evaluate strategic options and respond to new market opportunities. She is experienced in executive leadership for business and technological transformations, scaling innovations of products and services.
Experience
With over 27 years in the healthcare industry, Melody has led healthcare organizations on a broad range of topics, including:
- Assessing, developing, and implementing organizational strategies in clinical leadership, research, supply chain, and pharmacy
- Designing and launching programs focused on reducing cost and improving outcomes and integration across the health system
- Conducting real-time analytics
- Leading education services in healthcare analytics
- Conducting and facilitating multi-stakeholder engagement in strategic planning, market analysis, and technical and operational problem-solving
- Developing and implementing business turnaround strategies to improve clinical, financial, and operational performance and growth of referrals and revenues.
- Evaluating, designing, and implementing improvements in administrative operations
- Developing and adopting a standardized electronic health record for health systems across multiple states
- Developing and implementing contracting strategies and addressing physician and clinician preferences and new technologies
- Developing and evaluating predictive models
Prior to joining Milliman, Melody held senior leadership positions in large health system and group purchasing organizations, with responsibility for developing and implementing innovative strategies to improve quality, enhance business performance, and reduce cost./p>
Publications and Presentations
- Craff, M, Gosnell, J, Sesti, C, Majors, S, and Norris, D. Making learning easier: Educational strategies and a learning culture offer competitive advantages in a dynamic marketplace. October 2023. https://us.milliman.com/en/insight/making-learning-easier-educational-strategies-dynamic-marketplace
- Ally, AJ, Bell, D, Craff, M, Garbe, J, Gruenhaupt, M, Hienen, P and Russo, EM. Payer strategies for GLP-1 medications for weight loss. August 2023. https://us.milliman.com/en/insight/payer-strategies-glp-1-medications-weight-loss
- Craff, M and Fox, W. How to create a data analytics center of excellence in healthcare - Building the framework for effective & agile decision-making. May 2022. https://us.milliman.com/en/insight/how-to-create-a-data-analytics-center-of-excellence-in-healthcare
- Craff, M. Covid-19-Related Impacts on Delayed or Canceled Care & Disparities in the Utilization Uptick. Alliance of Community Health Plans. May 2022.
- Mafi, JN, Craff, M, Vangala, S, Pu, T, Skinner D, Tabatabai-Yazdi, C, Nelson, A, Reid, R, Agniel, D, Tseng, CH, Sarkisian, C, Damberg, C and Kahn, K. - Trends in US Ambulatory Care Patterns During the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2019-2021. JAMA. January 2022. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2021.24294
- Webb, C, Craff, M, Barth, M, Baeder, L, Skinner, D, and Pu, T. Health and Hurricanes - Studying Disparate Health Impact of Extreme Climate Events, 2017-2020. Society of Actuaries Research Institute. January 2022. https://www.soa.org/resources/research-reports/2022/health-hurricanes-impact/
- Craff, M, Barrington, A, Pu, T, Hadfield, M and Skinner, D. Insights into cost patterns and actionable factors in newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes. January 2022. https://www.milliman.com/en/insight/%20Insights-into-cost-patterns-and-actionable-factors-in-newly-%20diagnosed-Type-2-diabetes
- Webb, C and Craff, M. Health Effects of Hurricanes - Disparate Outcomes and Extreme Events. Society of Actuaries (SOA) ImpACT Annual Conference. October 2021.
- Fiorentino, J, Drucke,r E, West, AD and Craff, M. Data is everywhere: Harnessing the Power of Analytics to Improve Equity. Medicaid Enterprise Systems Conference: MESC 2021. August 2021.
- Russo, E, Pu, T, Williams, DV, Craff, M and Cohen, JR. The mysterious case of the missing influenza season. June 2021. https://us.milliman.com/-/media/milliman/pdfs/2021-articles/6-28-21-the-missing-influenza-season.ashx
- Edlund, P, Nelson, A, Craff, M and Tressel, Lewis M. Racial disparities in cardiovascular conditions. March 2021. https://us.milliman.com/-/media/milliman/pdfs/2021-articles/4-5-21-rdwg_racial-disparities-in-cardiovascular-conditions.ashx
- Craff, M, Skinner, DN, Mirkin, DP, Hammerstrom, F and Fox, W. Frameworks and considerations for COVID-19 related analyses. April 2020. https://us.milliman.com/en/insight/frameworks-and-considerations-for-covid19-related-analyses
- Tuttle, K et al. Chronic Kidney Disease and major risk factors in patients from two large healthcare systems: The CURE-CKD Registry. 2019. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3411052 [acknowledgement]
- Craff, MN, Zeballos, JL, Johnson, TS, Ranka, MP, Howard, R, Motarjem, P, Randolph, MA, and Winograd, JM. Embryonic stem cell-derived motor neurons preserve muscle after peripheral nerve injury. Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery: 119(1), 235-245. 2007. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.prs.0000244863.71080.f0
- Craff, MN. Ph.D. Thesis, Pathogenesis of Fructose Toxicity. Cambridge University Library. 2002.
- Fuhrmann-Benzakein, E, Ma, MN, Rubbia-Brandt, L, Mentha, G, Ruefenacht, D, Sappino, A-P and Pepper, MS. (Ma MN). Elevated levels of angiogenic cytokines in the plasma of cancer patients. Int. J. Cancer: 85, 40-45. December 1999. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0215(20000101)85:1<40::AID-IJC7>3.0.CO;2-L
Professional Designations
- FAHM Fellow Academy of Healthcare Management, America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP)
Education
- PhD, Molecular Biology, University of Cambridge, U.K.
- MD (MB BChir), Medicine and Surgery, University of Cambridge, U.K.
- MBA, University of Indiana (Beta Gamma Sigma)
- MS, Strategic Management, University of Indiana (Scholastic Award)
- MA, Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, U.K.
Publications
Read their latest work
Article
Making learning easier: Educational strategies and a learning culture offer competitive advantages in a dynamic marketplace
18 October 2023 - by Melody Craff, Jill Gosnell, Casilde Sesti, Shannon Majors, Doug Norris
A strong learning culture offers organizations a competitive edge, and requires leadership to inspire continuous self-development.
Article
Payer strategies for GLP-1 medications for weight loss
25 August 2023 - by AJ Ally, Deana Bell, Melody Craff, Jeff Garbe, Mark F. Gruenhaupt, RPh, Peter Heinen, Ellyn Russo
We examine various strategies related to GLP-1 medications such as Wegovy when used for weight loss to help payers understand the landscape, develop a coverage strategy, and minimize waste.
Article
Patterns in cost and utilization of cardiac diagnostic procedures and cardiovascular events
15 December 2022 - by Melody Craff, Michael Hadfield, Rachel Beaton, Dale Skinner
This report summarizes cost and patterns of cardiovascular events and treatments based on analysis of the Milliman MedInsight nationwide Emerging Experience research database spanning January 2017 to December 2021.
Article
How to create a data analytics center of excellence in healthcare
20 May 2022 - by Melody Craff, Will Fox
How do you go about transforming your processes into a system for transforming data into meaningful business insights?
Article
Health and hurricanes, studying disparate health impact of extreme climate events, 2017-2020
03 March 2022 - by Cody Webb, Melody Craff, Molly Barth, Larry Baeder, Dale Skinner, Thomas Pu
Carbon dioxide poisoning found consistently among populations affected by four hurricanes points to how climate events can have other health effects.
Article
Insights into cost patterns and actionable factors in newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes
03 January 2022 - by Melody Craff, Austin Barrington, Thomas Pu, Dale Skinner, Michael Hadfield
While people with a higher BMI at the diagnosis of T2D points to greater healthcare cost increases, weight management appears to help mitigate the rise in expenses.
Article
The mysterious case of the missing influenza season
28 June 2021 - by Ellyn Russo, Thomas Pu, David V. Williams, Melody Craff, Jennifer R. Cohen
Did the influenza virus also follow stay-at-home orders for 2020-21 season? We offer three hypotheses to explain a 94% drop in cases.
Article
Racial disparities in cardiovascular conditions
05 April 2021 - by Penny Edlund, Anikia Nelson, Melody Craff, Maureen Tressel Lewis
Our study of racial disparities in cardiovascular disease contributes new research and approaches toward achieving healthcare equity.
Article
Frameworks and considerations for COVID-19 related analyses
21 April 2020 - by Melody Craff, Dale Skinner, David Mirkin, Francesca Hammerstrom, Will Fox
This Milliman MedInsight brief provides an analytic guide to assist healthcare organizations with COVID-19 pandemic analytics.