Tactile Medical Hires Vice President of Reimbursement and Payer Relations

Tactile Systems Technology Inc., a company developing medical devices for the treatment of chronic diseases at home, has appointed Jay Stracke as vice president of Reimbursement and Payer Relations. Stracke will succeed Tactile Medical’s Senior Vice President of Reimbursement and Payer Relations Mary (Maggie) Thompson, R.N., who will retire from her full-time role and move into a part-time role as vice president, Payer Initiatives.
 
“Jay is an incredibly knowledgeable and capable leader, who brings over 25 years of experience in healthcare policy, reimbursement, payer operations, health economics and marketing at leading global medical device companies and two government agencies, CMS and HHS,” said Gerald R. Mattys, CEO of Tactile Medical. “We are excited to welcome him to Tactile Medical and look forward to further enhancing the strategic expertise and operational excellence of our reimbursement operations and payer relations team under his leadership. I would also like to thank Maggie for her years of hard work and leadership. Her strategic guidance has been a driving force behind the development of our in-house reimbursement operations and payer relations team and the establishment of our expertise in this area, which has become a core area of marketplace differentiation for Tactile Medical. We appreciate her continued contributions to our team in this important new role.”
 
Prior to joining Tactile Medical, Stracke was senior director of Global Clinical and Health Economic Marketing at Smiths Medical, a global manufacturer of specialty medical devices focused on the medication delivery, vital care and vascular access market segments. At Smiths Medical, he established and led a new division to develop and support value-based marketing and sales strategies, as well as a new post-market value-based research team to improve scientific evidence and customer awareness of the company’s brand, products and patient value. Stracke has also held positions as director of Government Affairs and Market Access for BIOTRONIK Inc., global director of Health Economics and Reimbursement for Zimmer Inc., and senior manager of Health Economics and Reimbursement for Guidant Corporation, where he developed and led the company’s first health economics and reimbursement team.
 
Prior to his career in the medical device industry, Stracke was the deputy director of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Medicare Advantage Administration Group. He also worked as Medicare policy and budget analyst at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Stracke earned a BBA in business administration from George Mason University and an MBA in finance from the University of Oklahoma.
 
Tactile Medical develops and markets at-home therapy devices that treat chronic swelling conditions such as lymphedema and chronic venous insufficiency. Tactile Medical’s Mission is to help people suffering from chronic diseases live better and care for themselves at home. The company’s offering includes advanced, clinically proven pneumatic compression devices, as well as continuity of care services provided by a national network of product specialists and trainers, reimbursement experts, patient advocates and clinicians. This combination of products and services ensures that tens of thousands of patients annually receive the at-home treatment necessary to better manage their chronic conditions.