Trudi Matthews

Trudi Matthews serves as Chief of  Value-based Programs, Public Policy and Community Initiatives at UK HealthCare, the health system of the University of Kentucky (UK). In this role, Trudi works with UK HealthCare’s executive team to ensure success in value-based programs for Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurers. Trudi also serves as government affairs and policy lead for UK HealthCare overseeing a team responsible for reviewing and analyzing state and federal government policy initiatives. In addition, Trudi is Executive Director of the Kentucky Regional Extension Center (REC) at UK.

From 2015-2019, Trudi was Managing Director of the Kentucky REC, a state-wide center at UK charged with assisting health care leaders, practices, and hospitals across Kentucky with using technology, connectivity, process improvement and value-based care models to improve the quality and value of health care. Under her leadership, the Kentucky REC was involved with multiple externally sponsored projects such as Kentucky’s Practice Transformation Network Grant, Medicaid Meaningful Use/Promoting Interoperability Support and several CDC-funded projects with the Kentucky Department for Public Health.

Between 2008 to 2014, Trudi served as Director of Policy and Business Development with the Health Collaborative/HealthBridge in Cincinnati. In this role, Trudi served in leadership roles on a variety of federal, state and community health IT, health information exchange and quality improvement initiatives including Cincinnati’s Beacon Community Program, the Tri-State Regional Extension Center, RWJF-funded Aligning Forces for Quality, the Kentucky and Indiana State Health Information Exchange Programs, and the Nationwide Health Information Network.

From 2005-2007, Trudi was Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of the Secretary at the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, where she served as coordinator for Kentucky’s statewide e-Health efforts and worked on Medicaid transformation initiatives. Trudi worked for the Council for State Governments from 1999-2005, where she was lead staff for its national health policy task force and oversaw a portfolio of health policy grants and programs for state legislators and executive branch officials. She began her career working for the Iowa Board of Medical Examiners.

Over her career, Trudi has managed more than $50 Million in federal, state and philanthropic grants and contracts aimed at improving health and health care through policy, technology and quality improvement.

Trudi received her B.A. and M.A. in political science from Iowa State University. She received a graduate certificate from the University of Kentucky in Improving Healthcare Value.  She lives in Lexington, KY.