Patrick Conway is quitting CMS to supervise BCBS North Carolina

Patrick Conway, MD, is quitting the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to become president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield or BCBS North Carolina, the insurer declared today.

He will join the company on the day of October 1.

Conway presently serves as CMS’ chief medical officer, deputy administrator for Innovation and Quality, and director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation.

As head of CMS’s Innovation Center, Conway has assisted lead the transition to value-based care.

“His distinctive experiences as a healthcare provider and as a leader of the world’s greatest health care payor will assist Blue Cross NC fulfill its mission to improve the health and well-being of our customers and communities,” said Frank Holding Jr., chair of the  BCBS North Carolina Board of Trustees.

Conway claimed, “The role of BCBS North Carolina in transforming the healthcare system in North Carolina is a model that other plans aspire to and that I need to work with the Blue Cross NC team to further improve. I look forward to collaborating with Blue Cross NC employees, health care providers and employers to deliver the best health outcomes and best service experience at the lowest cost for our customers.”

Conway presently serves as the most senior, non-political executive at CMS, in accordance with Blue Cross Blue Shield or BCBS North Carolina. He has worked in both Republican and Democratic administrations and is respected in a bipartisan manner, BCBS North Carolina said.

Current President and CEO Brad Wilson will remain CEO during a transition period.

“At this significant time in healthcare and health insurance transformation, Dr. Conway brings a unique background and perspective to our company and state,” Wilson claimed.

Conway joined CMS in the year of 2011 as the agency’s chief medical officer. In the year of 2014, he was elected to the National Academy of Medicine Institute of Medicine, which recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement.

Conway is a practicing pediatric hospitalist and was selected as a master of Hospital Medicine from the Society of Hospital Medicine. He has got the President’s Distinguished Senior Executive Rank and Health and Human Services Secretary’s Distinguished Service awards.

He is an ex White House Fellow and Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar.

Prior to joining CMS, Conway served as director of Hospital Medicine for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and as a private sector consultant for McKinsey & Company.

He completed his pediatrics residency at the institute of Harvard Medical School’s Children’s Hospital Boston, graduated with high honors from Baylor College of Medicine, and graduated summa cum laude from Texas A&M University.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield or BCBS North Carolina have 3.9 million members, involving almost 1 million served on behalf of other Blue plans.