GAO Makes 2026 PTAC Appointments

WASHINGTON, DC (October 16, 2026) – Orice W. Brown, Acting Comptroller General of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), today announced the appointment of six new members to the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC). 

Congress established PTAC in 2015 to improve how the federal Medicare program pays physicians for the care they provide to Medicare beneficiaries. This independent advisory committee makes recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on physician payment models and related topics. By law, the Comptroller General is responsible for naming new committee members. GAO takes a deliberate approach to appointments to health care advisory bodies, including extensive vetting of candidates, candidate interviews, and outreach to cognizant congressional committees to understand their priorities and needs. Appointments reflect the broad range of expertise and perspectives as required by law.   

The newly appointed members are Jennifer R. Aloff, MD, FAAFP; Reshma Gupta, MD, MSHPM; Bruce S. Pyenson; Susan E. Sheridan, MIM, MBA, DHL; Sarah Szanton, PhD, RN, FAAN and Marta J. Van Beek, MD, MPH. Their terms will expire in 2029.  

Brief biographies of the new committee members follow: 

Jennifer R. Aloff, MD, FAAFP, is a board-certified family physician and owner of Midland Family Physicians, an independent medical practice. She also serves as Medical Director and Vice President of Physician Enterprise at VaxCare, a care delivery platform for streamlining business logistics related to vaccines and contraceptives. She further serves on the Board of Directors at Honest ACO of Michigan and Great Lakes Physician Organization and represents family physicians on the American Medical Association’s Resource-Based Relative Value Scale Update Committee. Previously, Dr. Aloff served as Medical Director for Great Lakes Physicians ACO. She received her medical degree from Michigan State University and completed herfamily medicine residency at MyMichigan Medical Center in Midland, MI.

Reshma Gupta, MD, MSHPM, is the Chief of Population Health and Accountable Care at UC Davis Health and co-leads population health strategy across the University of California health campuses. She holds over a decade of experience leading large-scale healthcare transformation across complex health systems including AI and digital integration and national payment reform initiatives. She also serves as a senior advisor to Costs of Care, a nonprofit that trains clinicians to deliver affordable, high-value health care. Previously, she served as a senior advisor to the CMS Innovation Center, where she helped design and scale payment models, advised on multi-payer alignment strategies, and led evaluations of targeted care management for complex patients. She received her medical degree from University of California, San Francisco and completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of Washington, Seattle. She also received a master’s degree in health policy and management from University of California, Los Angeles.

Bruce S. Pyenson, FSA, MAAA, is a retired actuary. Most recently, Mr. Pyenson served as a Principal and Actuary at Milliman, where he used data and actuarial science to address pressing issues in the healthcare industry. He was also appointed as a Commissioner of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, where he served from 2016 until 2022. In addition, he served as an adjunct clinical associate professor at New York University’s College of Global Public Health and a member of the Institute for Healthcare Delivery Science at the Mount Sinai Health System. He is also active in the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program. Mr. Pyenson received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI.

Susan E. Sheridan, MIM, MBA, DHL, is the CEO and Founding Member of Patients for Patient Safety US, a non-profit organization with the goal of enhancing patient safety for all Americans. She is the co-chair of the National Academy of Medicine’s Patient Safety in the Era of AI initiative and is on the Board of Directors at the Leapfrog Group. Previously, Ms. Sheridan served as a Patient and Family Engagement Advisor at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Director of Patient Engagement at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. Ms. Sheridan received her master’s degree in International Management and Master of Business Administration degrees from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Phoenix, AZ.

Sarah Szanton, PhD, RN, FAAN, is the Dean and the inaugural Patricia M. Davidson Endowed Professor for Health Equity and Social Justice at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. She is also co-developer of the CAPABLE health delivery model and associated payment models. Dr. Szanton is on the editorial board of Health Affairs and the Journal of Advanced Nursing, among other journals. Previously, she served as Director for the Center for Equity in Aging and the Director of the PhD program at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Dr. Szanton received her Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing from the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing in Baltimore, MD.  

Marta J. Van Beek, MD, MPH, is the Executive Medical Director for the University of Iowa Health Care Enterprise, overseeing ambulatory operations across the health care system. She also serves on the boards of the American Medical Association and the American College of Mohs Surgeons and has provided clinical expertise to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on episode-based cost measures for non-pressure ulcers. Additionally, Dr. Van Beek was a Founding Chair for DataDerm™, a dermatology data registry. A board-certified dermatologist and Mohs micrographic surgeon, Dr. Van Beek received her medical degree and master’s degree in public health from the University of Iowa. 

For more information, see the PTAC website or contact Marsha Clarke, PTAC designated federal officer, at PTAC@hhs.gov. Other inquiries should be directed to Sarah Kaczmarek, Managing Director of Public Affairs at media@gao.gov. 

 

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