Patrick Conway, MD, MSc, became CEO of Care Solutions at Optum in June 2020. He is responsible for leading a platform of innovative and value-based offerings including home-based services, care for dual-eligible beneficiaries, urgent care centers, hospital and post-acute care, behavioral health and federal health services. This national platform serves tens of millions of people across the care continuum to achieve better health, exceptional experience, and lower costs. Prior to that, Patrick served as a senior executive in residence at United Health Group and Optum. From 2017 to 2019, he was President and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.
From 2011 to 2017, Conway served as Deputy Administrator for Innovation and Quality at the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). In this role he also held the position of Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI). Conway joined CMS in 2011 as the agency’s Chief Medical Officer and served as Principal Deputy Administrator and Acting Administrator. As the most senior non-political leader at CMS, he worked in both Republican and Democratic administrations and is considered one of the driving forces behind the national movement to value-based care, with healthcare payments tied to quality and innovation.
At Blue Cross N.C., Conway continued that commitment to delivering the best health outcomes and best service experience at the lowest cost for customers. He led the company to improving North Carolina’s healthcare system, making health care more affordable and working with doctors, hospitals and others to improve quality and value. During his tenure, Blue Cross N.C. lowered premiums for first time in history in ACA market by more than 10% and lowered Medicare Advantage premiums by more than 60%. Blue Cross N.C. also launched advanced value-based models covering over half of its members, new primary models, integrated mental healthcare delivery, and made major investments in social determinants of health. Under his tenure, Blue Cross N.C. was recognized as a leading innovative healthcare company.
A respected leader, innovator and clinician, he was elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) in 2014, one of the highest honors in medicine. He received the President’s Senior Executive Distinguished Service award, the highest award given to a non-political government leader. He is a practicing pediatric hospitalist and was selected as a Master of Hospital Medicine from the Society of Hospital Medicine. Before joining CMS, he oversaw clinical operations and quality improvement at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, with a focus on improving patient outcomes across the entire multi-billion dollar health system.
Conway completed his pediatrics residency at 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. He is married with four children.
