Prest & Associates Information

Prest & Associates is an industry leader in providing medical necessity and appropriateness of care peer reviews, specializing in psychiatry, addiction medicine and behavioral healthcare. Many of the nation’s top insurance companies rely on Prest for expert, unbiased and timely opinions. Additional services include: • Clinical case shaping and consultation • Fraud, waste and abuse investigations • Behavioral pharmacy review • Disability review • State level appeal review • Psychological and neuropsychological testing • Expert witness testimony Our Leadership: Judy Shaffer is the General Manager at Prest & Associates, LLC. She has been managing, teaching and training personnel in a variety of professional settings for more than 20 years. She has been a part of the Prest team since 2007. She holds a Master of Science degree from the Indiana University School of Education, and has experience working both in the United States and abroad. She is fluent in English, Spanish and French. As a manager, she enjoys working side by side with staff in different departments, and feels that the best part of her role is to provide employees with what they need to excel on their own. Dr. Barbara Center serves as Medical Director for Prest & Associates, LLC. There, she manages a panel of physicians and psychiatric experts, providing medical necessity, disability, and appropriateness of care reviews. Prior to her 17 years at Prest, she served as medical director of a community mental health center. As a manager, she chooses to lead by example, and enjoys a collaborative relationship with Prest’s panel of physician reviewers. She finds the IRO world to be varied and interesting, and enjoys many opportunities to interact with outstanding professionals. Dr. Center’s undergraduate degree is from Reed College, and earned her medical degree, residency, and fellowship at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.