Leah Hole-Curry

Leah Hole-Curry, JD, directs Washington State’s Health Technology Assessment program, created in 2006.  The HTA program is a leading state effort to purchase high-quality health care that is proven safe, effective, and cost-effective.  The program relies on independent evidence reports and a committee of current practitioners to guide state purchasing decisions of medical technologies. From 2001 to 2006, Ms. Hole-Curry provided regulatory consulting and project management to state Medicaid agencies and the federal Department of Health and Human Services (Medicaid, Office of HIPAA Standards, Office for Civil Rights) as a consultant with Fox Systems, Inc.   She focused on HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and information technology projects.  She was consulted as an authority on HIPAA implementation by local, state, and federal entities; spoke nationally and regionally on HIPAA impacts, especially for public agencies; participated in workgroups and chaired a national workgroup. Ms. Hole-Curry began her commitment to improving quality and safety of public health systems working for the Departments of Social and Health Services and Labor and Industries in Washington, providing contract management and regulatory compliance guidance.  Prior to working in the public health care field, she practiced land use, real property, and business law in Olympia, WA for several years.  She received her JD, Magna Cum Laude, at Seattle University School of Law in 1997 and a B.A. from Evergreen State College.