Felicia L. Collins, MD, MPH, FAAP

1998-1999

Rear Admiral, United States Public Health Service; HHS Acting Assistant Secretary of Health; Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health; Director, Office of Minority Health; Washington, DC

RADM Collins has been named the HHS Acting Asst Secretary of Health on January 20, 2021.

She was appointed as Acting Director of the Office of Minority Health on November 19, 2018.

RADM Collins most recently served at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), where she held the position of Senior Advisor in the Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC). In this role she provided guidance to HRSA Project Officers and Managers to support their analyses of Federally-funded health centers’ clinical submissions and ultimately promotes health centers’ provision of high quality health care to vulnerable populations.  She also provided leadership in establishing and/or enhancing BPHC’s clinical quality policies and electronic systems and works with Division Managers to identify and met non-clinical operational needs.

Previously, Dr. Collins served at the Food and Drug Administration where she reviewed pediatric drug development and labeling plans to help ensure efficacy and safety of drugs for children.  During a prior tour of duty at HRSA, Dr. Collins led staff that managed clinical quality assurance/risk management programs for Federally-funded health centers (e.g., accreditation, clinical risk management, medical malpractice insurance coverage).  She also worked to improve the collection of health centers’ clinical data for quality improvement and administrative purposes, and she provided leadership within HRSA regarding the elimination of health disparities. Dr. Collins has served as a legislative aide for the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues of the U.S. House of Representatives and as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

Dr. Collins received her medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1995, and completed a residency in primary care pediatrics at Children’s Hospital in Boston, MA in 1998. She received her M.P.H. from the Harvard School of Public Health as a CFHU Fellow in 1999.

 

2009

2001

January 3, 2020

Reede Scholar Felicia Collins, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health in the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health, has been promoted to Rear Admiral (O-7) in the Commissioned Corps of the U.S Public Health Service (USPHS).

November 21, 2018

 

Captain Felicia Collins was appointed as Acting Director of the Office of Minority Health on November 19, 2018. CAPT Collins most recently served at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), where she held the position of Senior Advisor in the Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC). In this role, she co-led programmatic monitoring and oversight of over 700 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) receiving $2 billion in grants to provide healthcare services to over 14 million vulnerable and underserved patients annually in 30 U.S. states and two territories. Prior to this role, CAPT Collins served at the Food and Drug Administration, completed another tour at HRSA (which included being the BPHC lead for health disparities), was a legislative aide for the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues in the U.S. House of Representatives, and was an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. CAPT Collins has received numerous awards and commendations from the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the Secretary of HHS, and the Secretary of the Navy.

Captain Collins received her undergraduate degree from Yale, her medical degree from Harvard Medical School, and then completed a residency in primary care pediatrics at Children’s Hospital in Boston, MA. Additionally, she received her M.P.H. from the Harvard School of Public Health as a Commonwealth Fund Fellow in Minority Health Policy.

 

Community Mental Health/Substance Abuse Organizations and Their Relationships with Managed Care Organizations

Abstract:

Community mental health/substance abuse (MH/SA) organizations are increasingly forming contractual relationships with managed care organizations (MCOs).  However, the financial incentives used by MCOs to improve health care efficiency may also result in inadequate or inappropriate MH/SA services, especially for communities of color.  Thus, in collaboration with the Center for Health Policy Research, this pilot study surveyed community mental health/substance abuse organizations in order to assess these organizations' perspectives regarding MCO practices and to assess the potential impact of these practices on communities of color.  

Surveyed organizations reported disagreement with several MCO practices that have the potential to negatively impact the care of clients.  In particular, organizations reported insufficient MCO coverage of preventative, case management, translation, and transportation services; insufficient clinician time with patients; and managed care contract provisions which inhibited providers from exercising independent clinical judgment regarding patient care.  Undoubtedly, such managed care practices will negatively impact communities of color who disproportionately seek MH/SA services from community organizations.

Consequently, additional studies of managed community mental health/substance abuse organizations would provide essential information regarding the adequacy of services for communities of color.  These studies should include quantitative assessments of MCO practices.  In addition, in order to facilitate the data collection process, community MH/SA organizations need better systems for reporting quantitative demographic information regarding the clients that they serve.

Unfortunately, individual community MH/SA organizations often have little power to alter MCO contracts presented to them.  Therefore, if public purchasers, such as state Medicaid agencies, expect MCOs to furnish certain services (e.g., preventative, translation, and case management services), these purchasers must explicitly specify this in their contracts with MCOs.   

Faculty Preceptors:

Sara Rosenbaum, J.D., Director
Joel Teitelbaum, J.D., LL.M., Research Scientist, Center for Health Policy Research
George Washington University Medical Center

The CFHUF provided me with not only academic public health/health policy training but with resources for living everyday life. It introduced me to fellowship alumni and an administrator who cared enough to leave their families early one June morning to pack the truck that would carry me to new adventures away from Boston. It led me to my first health policy job because a senior governmental official believed in the CFHUF and the fellows it trained. It provided me with personal medical consultants when I needed to advocate for my own health care needs during a life threatening situation or when I questioned the potential of future medical sequlae afterwards. It has provided me with life-long friends and mentors who continually remind me to “always be looking for a new job,” “pray about it and follow your heart,” never be too busy to “talk story,” and never forget the community of “people we serve”—it is for them that we seek to bring about “a revolution” in health care. My unending thanks to Joan, Karen Davis and Karen Scott Collins, and the many, many others who are now a permanent part of my life resources.