With the caliber of healthcare reform professionals on our staff, you can feel confident that we can 'walk the walk' when it comes to helping you implement and manage health insurance exchanges, risk adjustment and related national health reform issues. 

For more information on how we can help you with new growth opportunities, revenue expansion, business plan realignment, exchange planning or mastering any of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), please contact a member of our Boston office:

Jon Kingsdale, Ph.D. — Managing Director, Wakely Boston office
Jon Kingsdale was the founding Executive Director of the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority, an independent state agency established in 2006 under Massachusetts' landmark health reform legislation. As Executive Director for the country's inaugural health benefit exchange, Jon led key initiatives to make health insurance universally available and to reform health care financing in Massachusetts.

Jon, a frequent speaker and contributor to healthcare publications, is widely sought on both the state and national stage for his healthcare reform insights and public policy guidance.

As a senior executive at Tufts Health Plan for 20 years, Jon was responsible for strategic planning, product development, public affairs and government relations.  Prior to Tufts Health Plan, he worked in strategic planning and reimbursement at Blue Cross of Massachusetts, researched hospital finances at Harvard School of Public Health, consulted on health policy issues in Washington, D.C., and worked as a reporter for Forbes magazine.

Jon received a doctorate in economic history from the University of Michigan and his BA from the University of Pennsylvania.  He has taught at the Harvard School of Public Health, the Boston University School of Public Health, Tufts University School of Medicine, and is currently a lecturer in the Department of Health Care Policy at the Harvard Medical School.

Patrick Holland — Managing Director, Wakely Boston office
Patrick has over 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry and prior to establishing Wakely Consulting's Boston office, was the Chief Financial Officer of the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector, the first state-run health insurance exchange in the country and a model for national healthcare reform. Patrick brings expertise in strategy, finance, and operations to public and private entities looking for guidance in navigating the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the country's most sweeping healthcare reform legislation since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid almost fifty years ago.

Under his leadership, the Connector developed many of the functional blueprints that several states are already using to plan exchanges in their own states, including operational outlines for budgeting and forecasting, enrollment and billing, systems integration and business plan development. Patrick has gained national recognition for his work in developing an innovative risk adjustment methodology, which is particularly relevant to state exchanges.

On the private side, Patrick is working with several national and regional healthcare players seeking hands-on knowledge of reform opportunities.

Patrick has extensive insurance and provider healthcare experience with an emphasis in payor, hospital and physician contract negotiation, finance, provider reimbursement strategy, risk modeling, financial reporting, budgeting and managed care operations. He has held senior leadership positions in a number of health care organizations.

Patrick earned his BS from the University of Lowell and his MBA in Health Care Administration from Suffolk University.

James Woolman — Senior Consultant, Wakely Boston office
From 2006 to 2010, James helped build and manage the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority, the independent authority established in 2006 to implement Massachusetts’ historic health reform legislation. As the Manager of Finance and Analytics, James was responsible for developing and managing the Connector’s analytical, reporting, and health care finance functions. He was also instrumental in developing strategy for multiple health plan procurements and helped develop a number of innovative payment strategies, bidding incentives, and risk sharing and risk adjustment programs.

James also has significant experience in public and private health insurance with a deep understanding of health care finance, policy, and strategy. He has worked in provider contracting and product development for a commercial HMO based on Massachusetts as well as the finance area of the Massachusetts Medicaid program, where he worked on provider reimbursement, budgeting, and fiscal policy.

James holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he concentrated in health care policy and financial management. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in History from Columbia University.

Kathie Mazza — Senior Consultant, Wakely Boston office
Kathie brings to Wakely an extensive health care background with a distinguished track record in sales and sales management, product strategy, sales and marketing operations, marketing/public relations and customer service. She has strong leadership skills, is able to lead with influence and regards listening as a key skillset of a strong communicator. Her career path has been distinguished by notable successes in exceeding sales targets and in leading projects on time, to plan and on budget.

Kathie joined Wakely in March of 2011 as a Senior Consultant. She has worked closely with several states on exchange planning, timeline assessment and implementation activities. This work has included the development of a business operations plan, goal setting, needs assessment, and marketplace and broker analyses. Kathie has a BA from Wheaton College (Norton, MA) and is a Certified Health Consultant.

Kerry Connolly — Analyst, Wakely Boston office
Kerry Connolly is an Analyst working in the Boston office of Wakely Consulting Group. Prior to joining Wakely, Kerry was the Program Development Manager for the Commonwealth Care program at the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority. In this position, she was responsible for the development and implementation of program integrity and fraud prevention procedures, policy coordination with other state agencies, and the development of metrics to measure the volatility of the Commonwealth Care caseload. Kerry also assisted the newly created state agency as a Project Manager for a variety of special projects including the creation of a fully operational Appeals Unit at the Connector, development of the Commonwealth Care Bridge program for legal immigrants, and the establishment of metrics to measure the effectiveness of health care advocacy and consumer-focused organizations.