Meet
Leah Porter

She/Her
Senior Associate

Leah Porter supports clients with research and analysis that span a variety of healthcare sectors and stakeholders.

She applies her background in research, health policy, and project management to client projects.  

Before joining Avalere, Leah supervised COVID-19 contact tracing and vaccine distribution for the state of North Carolina. She worked extensively with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, several county health departments, and stakeholder groups to coordinate public health services, analyze COVID-19 infection trends, and provide guidance in rural North Carolina counties, especially for K–12 and universities. She also worked with the Maryland General Assembly, researching and drafting policies to present on expanding Medicaid beneficiary coverage for doula services in Maryland.  

Leah received her BS in psychology and public health from Florida State University and a Master of Science in Public Health in health policy with a concentration in health finance and management from The Johns Hopkins University. 

Authored Content


The recent FY 2024 IPPS final rule revised NTAP eligibility criteria for certain technologies. Applications for the FY 2025 NTAP cycle are due by October 17, 2023.

Additional Medicare payment in the inpatient setting may be available to certain qualifying new technologies, but requires successful navigation of application processes.

Increased use of alternative funding programs has introduced new access challenges for patients, plans, and manufacturers for specialty therapies.