Robert Richards

PhD

Senior Manager, Data Products

Seattle, WA, US

Robert Richards is a senior manager of data and analytics on the Data Products team, focusing on the collection and creation of high-quality referential data products about healthcare providers, payers, and markets. Robert guides the development and review of rigorous methodologies to ensure accuracy and integrity of data assets. He also assists with the scoping and design specifications of various data and analytical products. He leads research on real-world issues facing the healthcare industry, including policy developments such as network adequacy regulations, provider reporting requirements, value-based payment models, and emerging trends. He is a named inventor on seven patents issued by the US Patent and Trademark Office for his work on algorithms underlying the Milliman MedInsight Provider Registry product.

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Experience

Robert has over 12 years of experience in academic research and consulting on healthcare-related topics and quantitative data analysis. During his graduate studies at Duke University, he completed multiple research projects end-to-end, both coauthored and solo-authored, related to the politics of health policy in the United States. These involved a wide range of methodologies, from surveys and survey experiments to advanced statistical and economic modeling. Robert worked as a senior analyst at Leavitt Partners for two years, during which time he led the quantitative analysis on multiple client projects related to economic impacts of Medicaid expansion, value-based payment adoption and strategy, market landscape analysis, and network construction and composition. At Leavitt Partners and later at Milliman, he has led the methodological and dataset design aspects of a referential data product for use by healthcare industry analysts and executives.

Publications and Presentations

Richards, R. and B. Merkey. Supercharging healthcare analysis with robust provider data. Milliman MedInsight, December 2024.
Schock, B. and R. Richards. Exploring the provider landscape in Sickle Cell Disease through a gene therapy lens. Milliman MedInsight, December 2024.
Nagpal, R., S. Sharma, and R. Richards. Emergency department super utilizers: More than meets the eye. Milliman MedInsight, August 2024.
Richards, R. Roses and thorns: The nuanced landscape of healthcare provider data. Milliman MedInsight, August 2024.
Larson, A., M. Egan, R. Richards, and C. Gusland. What predictive analytics can tell us about key drivers of MSSP results: 2021 update. Milliman, August 2021.
Winfield, L., B. Zollinger, R. Richards, C. Gary, and D. Muhlestein. The Medicaid ACO Landscape. Leavitt Partners, May 2019.
K. Edwards, R. Richards, & D.M. Muhlestein. The 2018 ACO Survey: Unique Paths to Success. Leavitt Partners, March 2019.
Bleser, W.K., R.S. Saunders, D. Muhlestein, A. Olson, R. Richards, D. Taylor, and M. McClellan. 2019. Following Medicare’s ACO Program Overhaul, Most ACOs Stay—But Physician-Led ACOs Leave at a Higher Rate. Health Affairs Blog, March 2019.
Richards, R., C. Bay, and D. Muhlestein. Track Switching in Medicare ACO Programs: A Look at the Move to Downside Risk. Leavitt Partners, February 2019.
Richards, R., N. Smith, D. Muhlestein, E. Krisle, and S. Morrison. Pathways to Success: Options for ACOs. Leavitt Partners. January 2019.
Bordelon, A., A. Hanson, R. Richards, D. Muhlestein, and S. Mullin. Evaluating the Performance of State Individual Markets Using the Individual Market Effectiveness Index. Leavitt Partners. September 2018.
Muhlestein, D., R.S. Saunders, R. Richards, and M. McClellan. Recent Progress in the Value Journey: Growth of ACOs And Value-Based Payment Models In 2018. Health Affairs Blog, August 2018.
McClellan, M., R. Richards, and M. Japinga. Evidence on Payment Reform: Where Are the Gaps? Health Affairs Blog, April 2017.

Education

PhD, Public Policy, Duke University
BA, Political Science, Brigham Young University

Publications

Read their latest work

Article

Using social impact bonds to fund type 2 diabetes prevention

17 February 2025 - by Christine Mytelka, Robert Richards, Diana Dodu, Dan Mulhern, David Clove, Lauren Hodges, Jana Bourne, Doreen Acampora, Ida Bindea

Using diabetes as an example, we present the potential opportunity to use social impact bonds to test new chronic disease prevention interventions.

Article

Exploring the provider landscape in Sickle Cell Disease through a gene therapy lens

13 December 2024 - by Brittany Schock, Robert Richards

In this paper, after covering background on SCD, the new gene therapies, and the CMMI model, we leverage Milliman’s data assets to provide a high-level overview of the landscape of individuals with SCD and the providers who treat them.

Article

Supercharging healthcare analysis with robust provider data

30 November 2024 - by Robert Richards, Brian Merkey

In this paper, we describe the specific pitfalls of existing provider datasets related to locating and grouping providers. We will also present strategies we have taken to overcome these challenges. Future papers in the series will present specific analyses we have conducted using these strategies.

Article

Roses and thorns: The nuanced landscape of healthcare provider data

15 August 2024 - by Robert Richards

We summarize some strengths and shortcomings of the major U.S. healthcare provider data sets.

Article

Emergency department super utilizers: More than meets the eye

15 August 2024 - by Richa Nagpal, Shivangi Sharma, Robert Richards

We shed some light on emergency department super-utilizers, using Milliman MedInsight Chronic Condition Hierarchical Groups.

Article

What predictive analytics can tell us about key drivers of MSSP results: 2021 update

04 August 2021 - by Anders Larson, Mackenzie Egan, Robert Richards, Cory Gusland

We analyzed recent MSSP results for ACOs, and found that drivers of recent success are quite different from our report in 2015, and in some cases the opposite.