Patrick Conway, MD, MSc

Patrick H. Conway, MD, MSc, is a physician-executive with experience in clinical medicine, federal healthcare policy, and health system management. Conway earned his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine, completed residency training at Boston Children's Hospital at Harvard Medical School, and holds a Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania. He was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar, focusing on health services research and clinical epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Earlier in his career, Conway worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, advising healthcare clients on strategy.

Conway served as Deputy Administrator for Innovation and Quality at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), where he also held the roles of Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Chief Medical Officer, Principal Deputy Administrator, and Acting Administrator. In these positions, he contributed to the national shift toward value-based care, advancing healthcare payment models tied to quality and innovation. During his tenure, CMS achieved significant milestones in alternative payment models and value-based arrangements. Conway has published research in journals including JAMA, New England Journal of Medicine, Health Affairs, and Pediatrics, and has presented nationally on healthcare policy, quality of care, comparative effectiveness, hospitalist systems, and quality improvement.

Before joining CMS, Conway oversaw clinical operations and quality improvement at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, focusing on patient outcomes across the health system. He later served as president and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, where he led initiatives in healthcare innovation, value-based payment, and health outcomes. Conway subsequently held executive roles at Optum, including CEO of Care Solutions, CEO of Optum Rx, and CEO of Optum, the health services division of UnitedHealth Group. At Optum, he leads an enterprise encompassing pharmacy care services, health management, care delivery, and analytics, serving millions of Americans.

Conway continues to practice as a pediatric hospitalist, maintaining clinical engagement alongside his executive responsibilities. He was recognized as a Master of Hospital Medicine by the Society of Hospital Medicine and elected to the National Academy of Medicine. Conway received the President's Senior Executive Distinguished Service Award and was a White House Fellow. He has served on the boards of Aledade, Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy, Sound Physicians, and Help at Home. Conway's career reflects a commitment to integrating clinical practice, healthcare policy, and executive leadership to advance the U.S. healthcare system.