From Acute Care PT to Medicare Policy at a Fortune 6 Company with Dana Strauss

A physical therapist now shapes Medicare policy for one of the biggest healthcare companies in America. Dana Strauss will be the first to tell you she didn't plan it.Dana started in acute care physiotherapy and now leads value-based care and Medicare policy strategy at a Fortune 6 company, a role usually filled by lawyers and public policy experts.This is for any health professional who can't stop noticing the things that don't make sense. Dana built a whole career out of that instinct, teaching herself what she needed, pitching ideas to leadership, and following each problem to the next. She's honest about the parts that don't make the highlight reel too, the LinkedIn messages that scared her, the mentors who took a chance, the startup that nearly broke her, and the moment she realised policy work was what she'd been doing on the side of her desk for years. If you've ever sensed there's more you could do without a prescriptive plan or the usual credentials, this one is for you.We ExploreLetting what doesn't make sense become your career compassPitching yourself into a role that doesn't exist yetHow cross-functional committees put you in front of people who'll vouch for youSending the message that scares youWorking with a brain that needs constant intellectual stimulationAbout Dana StraussDana Strauss is a senior policy expert at a Fortune 6 company, leading value-based care and Medicare policy strategy for its healthcare delivery division. She started as an acute care physical therapist and built her career by solving problems others accepted as unchangeable. Her work spans alternative payment models, skilled nursing facility management, and population health, bringing a clinician's perspective to the policy that shapes how care is delivered across America.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danastraussdpt/Newsletter: https://www.timelessautonomy.com/subscribePodcast: https://www.youtube.com/@FutureProofPTCareer Cliniq ResourcesWondering how your clinical expertise could translate into a different role? The StreamAhead Assessment helps you identify your value and see what might make sense for your next move.Join the ConversationWhat's something in your workplace that just doesn't make sense to you?Find me on LinkedIn or Instagram.