Jane Hyatt Thorpe, J.D.

Jane Hyatt Thorpe, JD is an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Health Policy at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services.

Professor Thorpe specializes in legal and policy matters related to health care delivery systems and financing, health information technology and the privacy and security of health information, performance measurement and improvement, medical innovation, fraud and abuse, and corporate compliance. She is currently focusing on legal and policy issues related to improving health care quality and delivery at the community and national level. In addition, she works closely with the District of Columbia’s Department of Health Care Finance to develop and implement quality improvement and value-based purchasing initiatives. Continuing from her previous role as a Professorial Lecturer with the Department, Professor Thorpe teaches health care corporate compliance. Prior to joining the Department in 2009, Professor Thorpe served as the Deputy Director of the Office of Policy for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) within the Department of Health and Human Services. In that capacity, she worked closely with the Director to manage the office responsible for the Agency’s crosscutting policy and strategic planning and advise the Administrator on emerging issues in health care delivery and financing. She also was responsible for numerous Agency-wide initiatives related to value-driven health care and transparency, medical technology and innovation, and health information technology. Professor Thorpe’s previous experience includes policy development for the medical device industry, including issues related to product and service coverage, coding, and payment processes. As Associate Vice President for Payment and Policy at the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), she served as a regulatory liaison to CMS and private payers on behalf of the industry. Prior to joining AdvaMed, Professor Thorpe practiced health care law in nationally recognized law firms including Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP in Washington, D.C. She represented a broad range of health care industry providers and manufacturers and provided counsel concerning fraud and abuse and regulatory matters.

Education

Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, Princeton University, 1995
Juris Doctor, Vanderbilt University School of Law, 1998

Research

Professor Thorpe’s research focuses on the intersection of health care law and policy in the areas of health care delivery systems and financing with a particular focus on Medicare and Medicaid, health information technology and privacy and security of health information, performance measurement and improvement, and medical innovation. Other areas of focus include fraud and abuse and health care corporate compliance.

Community Service

Professor Thorpe serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for Community Health Charities of the National Capital Area. She also previously served on the Board of Directors for Physician-Parent Caregivers, Inc. which seeks to improve the quality of health care for children with chronic conditions, and as co-chair of the District of Columbia Bar Health Law Steering Committee. During her tenure with the Health Law Section, she spearheaded the development and publication of the Patient Rights Manual for consumers and practitioners and managed the End-Of-Life Health Care Decision-Making Program.