DeBrunner & Associates

What DeBrunner & Associates does

DeBrunner & Associates is a privately held health care policy consulting and government relations firm founded in 1995 and headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with a federal-practice office in Arlington, Virginia. The firm employs approximately 10 professionals organized into a Pennsylvania practice led by Partner and Managing Director Michael Chirieleison and a federal health policy consulting practice led by Partner Ellen Kugler. Its core offering is advisory and advocacy services focused on Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement policy, with particular specialization in Medicaid disproportionate share (DSH) payment methodologies, alternative payment and supplemental payment models, provider assessment modeling, hospital merger impact analysis, and Medicare designation strategies (sole-community hospital, critical access hospital, rural referral center).

The firm's deliverables are services rather than software: policy analysis, legislative and regulatory strategy, advocacy before Congress and federal agencies, regulatory comments, grant assistance, and direct representation of clients in state-level matters. Underlying technical capability rests on proprietary databases and analytical methodologies maintained by a Director of Data and Information Services (James Tomkins, joined 2006 from the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council), enabling quantitative modeling of DSH limits, provider assessments, and the financial impact of policy proposals. The firm markets through a weekly Federal Health Policy Update blog, contributions to industry publications such as the Alliance of Safety-Net Hospitals website, and leadership roles in professional associations.

DeBrunner generates revenue through fee-for-service consulting engagements and retainers with health care providers, health systems, hospital and provider associations, pharmaceutical companies, and state government entities, with pricing negotiated per engagement based on scope and complexity and contracts commonly structured as multi-year. The firm is sales-led, with business developed through established relationships in federal and state government, professional networks, industry conferences, and referrals from existing clients.

Name

DeBrunner & Associates

Legal name

DeBrunner & Associates

Website

https://debrunner.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DeBrunner & Associates is a privately held health care policy consulting and government relations firm, founded 1995, serving hospitals, health systems, provider associations, and pharmaceutical clients with Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, DSH, and legislative strategy services from offices in Harrisburg and Arlington.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Health Policy Consulting

NAICS

Pharmacy Benefit Management and Other Third Party Administration of Insurance and Pension Funds (524292)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Government Program Administrative Services (Medicare/Medicaid ASO/TPA) (HLAEALAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

340B Program Administration & Support (HLAEAKAJ), Healthcare-Linked Social Benefits Administration (e.g., Medicaid/Means-Tested Health Coverage) (BPAIAKAH), 340B Program Administration & Contract Pharmacy Services (HLAFALAL)

Keywords

• Health policy consulting
• Medicaid DSH consulting
• Medicare reimbursement consulting
• Government relations advocacy
• State health policy advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Harrisburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Health Policy Consulting Services: Fee-for-service consulting engagements with health care providers, health systems, hospital associations, and other health care clients for policy analysis, regulatory compliance, and strategic advisory services
2. Government Relations and Lobbying: Advocacy services before Congress, federal agencies, and state government bodies including legislative strategy, regulatory comments, and grant assistance

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

DeBrunner & Associates is a health care policy consulting and government relations firm that provides advisory services to health care providers, health systems, hospital associations, pharmaceutical companies, and state agencies at the federal and state levels. Core work centers on Medicare and Medicaid policy analysis, Medicaid disproportionate share (DSH) payment consulting, Medicare reimbursement optimization, legislative strategy, regulatory advocacy, and federal grant assistance.

Product overview

DeBrunner & Associates is a health care policy consulting and government relations firm, not a software or technology product company. It provides advisory services rather than software products. The firm's services include health care policy consulting and advocacy at the federal and state levels, focusing on Medicare, Medicaid, and general health care policy. Services encompass policy analysis, legislative strategy, regulatory advocacy, Medicaid DSH consulting, and Medicare reimbursement consulting. No discrete software products, platforms, or modules were identified in the source material.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Health Care Policy Consulting Federal and state-level health care policy advisory services for hospitals, health systems, providers, and associations covering Medicare and Medicaid policy analysis, regulatory interpretation, and strategic guidance.
• Medicaid DSH Consulting and Supplemental Payment Methodologies Specialized consulting that calculates DSH limits, identifies inaccurate rule interpretations, develops alternative payment distribution methodologies, and finds additional room under existing DSH limits for larger payments on behalf of hospitals and health systems.
• Medicare Reimbursement Consulting Advisory work to improve Medicare cost reporting, adjust Medicare area wage index, pursue favorable provider designations (sole-community hospital, critical access hospital, rural referral center), and optimize overall Medicare revenue for hospitals.
• Government Relations and Advocacy Advocacy services delivered before Congress, federal agencies, and state government bodies, including legislative strategy, regulatory comments, and representation for hospitals, health systems, associations, and pharmaceutical clients.
• Provider Assessment Modeling Financial impact modeling of proposed state provider assessments and development of alternative assessment proposals for provider groups and state agencies.
• Hospital Merger Impact Analysis Analysis of the potential impact of hospital mergers on Medicare and Medicaid revenue and on eligibility for supplemental government payments, used by hospitals and health systems evaluating transactions.
• Federal Grant and Demonstration Program Assistance Advisory and representation services helping health care providers, associations, and state entities secure federal grants and qualify for federal demonstration programs.

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Alliance of Safety-Net HospitalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing advisory relationship with the Alliance of Safety-Net Hospitals. Firm staff write blogs and provide policy analysis for the Alliance website, supporting advocacy for safety-net hospitals on federal health care policy issues.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Avalere Health: Healthcare-focused policy and strategic consulting firm advising payers, providers, and life sciences companies on Medicare, Medicaid, and 340B policy — directly comparable in service line and client mix to DeBrunner & Associates.
• Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville: Healthcare-focused law and government relations firm advising health systems on Medicare, Medicaid, and 340B issues before Congress and federal agencies — closely comparable in client base and policy focus.
• Mehlman Consulting: Bipartisan federal lobbying and policy firm with a strong healthcare practice representing hospitals and health systems in Congress — directly comparable to DeBrunner's federal government relations work.
• Manatt Health: Healthcare consulting and legal practice within Manatt, Phelps & Phillips providing policy, reimbursement, and regulatory advisory to hospitals and associations — overlapping with DeBrunner's Medicare/Medicaid and provider association work.
• McDermott+Consulting: Healthcare government relations and policy consulting arm of McDermott Will & Emery, focused on federal health policy advocacy — directly comparable to DeBrunner's federal health policy consulting practice in Washington, D.C.

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte Health Care: Global consulting practice with a dedicated health care segment covering policy, operations, and technology advisory to providers and payers — competes for hospital system consulting budgets but operates at much broader scope and scale.
• Holland & Knight Healthcare: National law firm with a substantial healthcare regulatory and legislative practice serving providers, associations, and pharma — overlapping capabilities but a broader portfolio and far larger scale than DeBrunner.
• K&L Gates Health Care: International law firm with a large health care practice covering regulatory, reimbursement, and policy matters for providers, payers, and life sciences — comparable overlap on policy advisory work for hospital systems.

Emerging players

• The Chartis Group: Healthcare advisory firm serving hospitals and health systems on strategy, operations, and policy — comparable hospital-system client base though broader scope and larger scale than DeBrunner.
• Pivotal Ventures / Gorman Health Group: Specialist healthcare consulting firm focused on government health programs (Medicare, Medicaid) for plans and providers — comparable niche focus on Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement but with different client orientation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DeBrunner & Associates