Burns and Associates

What Burns and Associates does

Burns & Associates is a U.S.-based health policy consulting firm founded in 2006 and headquartered in Okemos, Michigan. The firm specializes in policy analysis, financial modeling, rate setting, program design, implementation, and evaluation services for state Medicaid and human service programs, with particular depth in Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) for individuals with developmental disabilities, older adults, persons with physical disabilities, and mental health populations. B&A is described as a nationally recognized leader in HCBS program design and rate setting, including the development of innovative value-based payment approaches.

On September 1, 2020, Burns & Associates became a division of Health Management Associates, a larger healthcare consulting platform. Post-acquisition, B&A leverages HMA's broader service portfolio (actuarial services, value-based care advisory, behavioral health, long-term services and supports) and marketing infrastructure (HMA Insights Blog, podcasts, webinars, Weekly Roundup, expert videos, briefs and reports) to serve state government clients alongside healthcare providers and federal, state, and local government agencies. The firm operates a quote-based, engagement-driven consulting model with pricing tailored to individual client engagements rather than publicly disclosed. Revenue is not disclosed, and the firm maintains a small visible senior team led by Managing Director Stephen Pawlowski and Principal Debbie Saxe, with no AI/ML capabilities or technology products evidenced in available data.

Name

Burns and Associates

Legal name

Burns & Associates

Website

https://burnshealthpolicy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Burns & Associates is a U.S. health policy consulting firm, founded in 2006 and operating as a division of Health Management Associates since 2020, specializing in policy analysis, rate setting, and program design for state Medicaid and Home and Community Based Services programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Health Policy Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHSABAIAM

Home & Community-Based Services (HCBS) Coordination & Case Management

Home & Personal Services/Elder Care & In-Home Care Services/Care Coordination & Geriatric Care Management

SECONDARYBPAIAKAH

Healthcare-Linked Social Benefits Administration (e.g., Medicaid/Means-Tested Health Coverage)

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Social Security, Benefits & Welfare Administration

Keywords

• Health policy consulting
• Medicaid consulting services
• Rate setting services
• HCBS program design
• Payment rate modeling

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Burns & Associates provides health policy consulting services to state governments, including policy analysis, financial modeling, rate setting, program design, implementation, and evaluation for Medicaid and human service programs. The firm specializes in the design, operation, and evaluation of Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) programs, with particular expertise in developing payment rates and innovative value-based approaches for providers serving individuals with developmental disabilities, older individuals, persons with physical disabilities, and individuals with mental health needs.

Product overview

Burns & Associates is a health policy consulting firm that operates as a division of Health Management Associates. The company offers a suite of consulting services including policy analysis, financial modeling, rate setting, program design, implementation, and evaluation. The firm specializes in Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) programs, with particular expertise in developing payment rates for providers serving vulnerable populations including individuals with developmental disabilities, older adults, persons with physical disabilities, and individuals with mental health needs. The company is known for innovative value-based payment approaches and brings robust analytics expertise to support state-level Medicaid and human service programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Health Policy Consulting Services

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Health Management AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2020Burns & Associates became a division of Health Management Associates on September 1, 2020. This acquisition brought together B&A's expertise in HCBS programs and rate setting with HMA's broader healthcare consulting capabilities, creating a combined entity offering unmatched depth in healthcare policy, analytics, and program implementation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Wakely Consulting Group: A sister company within HMA, Wakely provides actuarial and financial-analytics consulting to health plans, Medicaid agencies, and providers — closely related in client base and analytical methodology to Burns & Associates' rate-setting work.
• Mathematica: Mathematica's Health division conducts Medicaid policy research, program evaluation, and rate-setting analysis for federal and state clients — providing comparable evidence-based consulting services to the same state Medicaid agencies that B&A serves.
• Public Consulting Group (PCG): PCG's Health Services practice delivers HCBS program design, rate-setting, and Medicaid consulting to state agencies — closely mirroring Burns & Associates' niche focus on community-based services and provider payment rate development.
• Manatt Health: Manatt Health is a leading healthcare consulting and legal-advisory practice serving state Medicaid agencies on HCBS, value-based payment, and program design — a direct competitor for the same client mandates Burns & Associates pursues.

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte (Government & Public Services): Deloitte's State Health Transformation practice advises Medicaid agencies on HCBS waiver design, value-based payment, and program operations — a broad incumbent competing for the same large state procurements that B&A targets.
• Mercer: Mercer's Government Human Services Consulting practice provides Medicaid HCBS rate setting, waiver design, and program evaluation to states — directly overlapping with Burns & Associates' core offerings, but at much greater scale across HR, benefits, and broader consulting services.
• Health Management Associates (HMA): HMA is Burns & Associates' parent company and the broader healthcare consulting platform it operates within; HMA also sells Medicaid policy, behavioral health, and value-based-care advisory services that overlap with and extend beyond B&A's HCBS specialty.
• KPMG (Healthcare & Government): KPMG's Government Healthcare practice provides Medicaid consulting, rate-setting, and program transformation services to states — a broad incumbent that competes for large HCBS and Medicaid mandates alongside B&A.

Emerging players

• Leavitt Partners: Another HMA sister company, Leavitt Partners focuses on value-based care strategy, intelligence on I/DD populations, and Medicaid policy intelligence — adjacent to B&A's HCBS work with overlapping client conversations.
• NORC at the University of Chicago: NORC's Health Care Research group conducts Medicaid and HCBS program evaluations, policy analysis, and quantitative research for federal and state agencies — comparable to B&A's evaluation and analytics practice from a research-institute perspective.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/health-management-associates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Burns and Associates