Karen Miller serves as the Co-President, Program expansion for HPC where she leads the efforts in program expansion to support schools as they prepare for Medicaid Expansion. Since founding HPC in 1993, Karen successfully grew it into a statewide Medicaid Third Party Administrator for the Ohio Medicaid School Program (MSP) using her applied healthcare management and medical/clinical background to operate a comprehensive billing management program that supports school districts and HPC clients in successfully operating school Medicaid programs. Karen holds a bachelor’s degree from Kent State University, and attended Baldwin Wallace University and Cleveland State University for Masters of Business coursework. She is a registered nurse (RN) with the state of Ohio with an extensive background in critical care and hospital management. Working with both Ohio State University and University Hospitals of Cleveland over her early healthcare career, she was a hospital administrator for University Hospitals for seven years, with key management positions in financial services, quality review, physician credentialing and patient registration departments.  Karen is a current member of the National Association for Medicaid in Education (NAME) and volunteers in the National CASA Program (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for abused, neglected and dependent children in Delaware and Union County.

As Co-President, Operations for HPC, Kritesh Patel concentrates on the daily operations and technology improvement. With a background in healthcare operations, Medicaid reimbursement, revenue cycle management, and technology-driven business transformation, Kritesh is committed to continuing and enhancing the excellent service HPC provides. Throughout his career, he has worked extensively in healthcare and revenue cycle management, including leading business transformation and growth initiatives in Medicaid and payer operations. Kritesh has spearheaded Medicaid redetermination efforts, established financial teams to support patient coverage and developed strategies to optimize reimbursement processes. His experience also includes leveraging technology to streamline operations, improving data accuracy and enhancing client outcomes. Prior to joining HPC, he held senior roles with Crossroads, EY-Parthenon and Kimberly Clark.  Kritesh holds an MBA from Emory University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia.

Tracy joined HPC in 1993 and has been an integral part of HPC’s continued success. Her dedication to developing a vast understanding of School-Based Medicaid rules and regulations and special education policies has allowed her to build a strong reputation for outstanding services to school district, throughout the state of Ohio. With more than two decades of experience managing the HPC’s administrative staff, she offers a unique blend of leadership, vision and knowledge to our team. Her effective problem-solving skills enable our business to work more efficiently and provide solutions to HPC clients. Tracy’s passion for client needs has resulted in strong relationships with school districts, allowing HPC to retain and successfully attract new clients. She has been an active National Alliance for Medicaid in Education (NAME) member since 2010.

With more than 25 years of career experience in financial services, Kevin Mahaffey leads the Operations & Finance team that manages the monthly claims billing/reporting of client reimbursements, and completes the annual Medicaid School Program Cost report, Indirect Rate Report and Medicaid Eligibility Rate Report for HPC clients.  He works with school treasurers to provide financial and operational support with the Medicaid School Program, and with the Ohio Department of Medicaid on policy and operational issues related to the claims payment and reporting processes. Kevin has also provided technical support related to the transitioning of HPC’s upgraded Edu-Doc 4.0 software.

Renee Estremera joined HPC in 2003 under the former CAFS program. Previously an Assistant Vice President with National City Bank, she brings 25 years of finance and management experience to HPC. Renee collaborated with the initial stakeholder group in the creation and implementation of components of the current Ohio Medicaid School Program, and continues to work directly with representatives from Ohio Department of Medicaid and Ohio Department of Education to help maintain the integrity and compliance of this program. Her comprehensive knowledge of all financial aspects of the Medicaid School Program allows for maximum reimbursement to clients. She has been an active member of National Alliance for Medicaid in Education (NAME) since 2010. Since joining HPC Renee has been the liaison working directly with the technology team on Edu-Doc© software enhancements and was a major collaborator in the creation, development and implementation of the 3.0 version of the software.