Heather Trafton: Transforming Kidney Care Through Value-Base

Heather Trafton is the CEO of Evergreen Nephrology, a healthcare organization dedicated to transforming kidney care through value-based, risk-bearing models. She is an accomplished healthcare leader with deep expertise in building and scaling organizations that deliver measurable improvements in patient outcomes, provider performance, and cost of care. Trafton sets Evergreen’s strategic direction and long-term vision, leading the organization in advancing care for those with chronic kidney disease (CKD). She is focused on transforming care delivery moving beyond fragmented, fee-for-service models to more accountable, value-based, and technology-enabled approaches that improve outcomes for patients with CKD. Under her leadership, Evergreen has shaped a care model that enables nephrologists, payors, and care teams to deliver personalized support across the disease journey combining interdisciplinary care, data-driven insights, and wraparound services that address medical, behavioral, and social needs. Since joining Evergreen in 2024, Trafton has accelerated the company’s momentum by leveraging her extensive population health expertise and translating best practices from primary care value-based models to effectively manage the complexity of kidney disease. Under her leadership, Evergreen has scaled its impact significantly, now supporting more than 41,000 patients through a network of over 1,300 providers across 44 practices in 24 states. This progress has been driven by new payer partnerships and continued expansion in risk-based programs. Trafton began her career as a physician assistant, spending 14 years in direct patient care. She brings a combination of frontline clinical experience, c-suite leadership, and deep operating expertise across provider, payor, and population health organizations within a leading primary care ACO and Medicare Advantage health plans. In addition to her work at Evergreen, Trafton’s contributions reflect a long-standing commitment to service mentorship, and community impact. Since 2001, she has been involved with Project Bread as an advisor and supporter, contributing to an organization focused on addressing food insecurity and expanding access to nutrition resources for individuals and families across Massachusetts. Trafton holds a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from Northeastern University and an MBA with a healthcare concentration from George Washington University.