Jay Keese is the CEO of Capitol Advocates, a prominent policy and advocacy firm headquartered in Washington D.C., specializing in healthcare issues. With a career spanning decades, Jay’s journey began in government relations at the American Medical Association, where he passionately represented physicians’ interests.
Throughout his illustrious career, Jay has achieved remarkable success in winning legislative and regulatory battles that have shaped healthcare delivery and payment reforms. His expertise extends to advocating for doctors, employers, payers, states, health technologists, hospitals, and medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Notably, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jay played a pivotal role in securing critical waivers to state and federal laws, enabling healthcare practices to fully harness digital health services like telehealth and remote patient monitoring to enhance care during public health emergencies.
In addition to his role at Capitol Advocates, Jay leads several national healthcare stakeholder coalitions. As the Executive Director of the Direct Primary Care Coalition, he spearheaded the definition of Direct Primary Care (DPC) as a medical service offered outside of insurance within the Affordable Care Act (ACA), subsequently influencing over 30 state laws and regulations clarifying the treatment of DPC services. His advocacy work extends to the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD), where he collaborates with a diverse coalition to improve health outcomes and control costs through value-based payment and delivery reforms.
Jay’s influence reaches far and wide, as he contributed to shaping innovative reforms in the ACA and played a key role in implementing programs such as physician direct contracting with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)and the CMS Innovation Center (CMMI).
Beyond policy advocacy, Jay has been a driving force behind the adoption of health information technology and patient care applications. He played a central role in developing a risk-based regulatory framework for smartphone apps adopted by the Food and Drug Administration, a crucial component of the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA). These principles were later integrated into the 21st Century Cures Act.
Jay’s journey began as an aide to the late Senator John Heinz (R-PA), where he gained invaluable experience in healthcare policy. He has also shared his knowledge as a guest lecturer at the Georgetown University School of Medicine and as an Adjunct Professor of Health Benefit Design at the University of Lynchburg, where he teaches a master’s degree class on the history of health policy.
Outside of his professional life, Jay is an avid cyclist and skier. He and his wife Sara reside in Alexandria, Virginia, and have three grown children: Katie, Caroline, and William.