Megan Hesketh, MHA

Megan brings over ten years of experience in leading nationally recognized quality improvement initiatives, with a standout project being the CMS Initiative to Reduce Avoidable Hospitalizations among Nursing Home Residents, known as the New York – Reducing Avoidable Hospitalizations (NY-RAH) project. As the Senior Director of Grants and Programs at the Greater New York Hospital Association, she managed the NY-RAH project, collaborating with more than 50 nursing homes across New York State. Her efforts focused on enhancing workflows to improve patient care, reduce errors, and avoid unnecessary transfers through payment incentives. Megan's commitment to improving the quality of life for older adults extends to her work as an evaluation consultant for the Florida Health Justice Project, where she supports initiatives aimed at streamlining and enhancing Florida Medicaid’s Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Long Term Care Waiver Program.

Megan is also a strong advocate for early communication and documentation of end-of-life wishes, shifting the focus to What Matters and how palliative care can help achieve those goals. Before joining CAPC, she served as the Assistant Director of Research at the Emory University Palliative Care Research Center, where she collaborated with leading researchers to test innovative palliative care models. At CAPC, she is excited to help translate palliative care research into practice.

Megan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Rhetoric from the University at Albany and a Master of Health Administration from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.