Jennifer Barnhart, MPH

Owner & President,
LUMA Health Consulting

What is your presentation about?

This session will explore innovative financing and delivery strategies that are advancing sustainable access to diabetes prevention and chronic disease management services. The presentation will highlight emerging opportunities to establish permanent Medicaid coverage through state plan and managed care organization (MCO) pathways, leverage 1115 waiver demonstrations to support enhanced social and clinical services, and develop bundled payment arrangements that incentivize integrated, whole-person care. Participants will also learn how organizations are aligning community-based organizations (CBOs), healthcare providers, and public health systems to braid Medicaid and public health funding, strengthen referral pathways, and maximize new CMS reimbursement opportunities related to social determinants of health, community health integration, and principal illness navigation. Together, these approaches create a more sustainable, coordinated framework for advancing diabetes prevention and long-term community health outcomes.

How do you hope your presentation will impact diabetes research or care?

I hope this presentation helps advance the conversation from short-term, grant-funded diabetes programs to sustainable, integrated models of prevention and chronic disease management. By highlighting innovative payment strategies, cross-sector partnerships, and whole-person care approaches, the session aims to provide practical pathways to expand access, improve outcomes, and strengthen long-term sustainability for diabetes prevention services.

How did you become involved with this area of diabetes research or care?

My work in diabetes prevention and management grew from a broader commitment to advancing equitable access to care and sustainable healthcare financing. Over the course of my career in public health and healthcare strategy, I saw firsthand how evidence-based programs like the National Diabetes Prevention Program and Diabetes Self-Management could improve outcomes, but often struggled to achieve long-term sustainability without strong coverage and payment pathways. That led me to focus on helping healthcare, public health, and community-based organizations develop innovative financing, policy, and implementation strategies that expand access to diabetes prevention and chronic disease management services.