University of Pennsylvania
Health System
Office of Public Affairs
399 South 34th Street, Suite 2002, Penn Tower, Philadelphia,
PA 19104-5653
Contact:
Rosann Giordano-Thompson, (215) 349-5964, rosann.thompson@uphs.upenn.edu
June 07, 2004
Ralph W. Muller, CEO of the University of Pennsylvania
Health System,
Re-Appointed to Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
(Philadelphia, PA) – Ralph W. Muller, Chief
Executive Officer of the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS), has
been re-appointed to serve on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC),
for a second three year term. Muller has served on the Commission since 2001.
The appointment was announced by David M. Walker, Comptroller General of the
United States.
MedPAC is a 17-member nonpartisan Commission that advises Congress on Medicare
policies. The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA) required that members of the
Commission be national experts in areas such as health finance, health facility
management, and health plans. While the BBA did not explicitly designate Commission
membership for specific stakeholders, it did acknowledge that MedPAC should
include members with expertise in particular areas, e.g., Medicare payment policies
for teaching hospitals.
Muller took over the helm of the University of Pennsylvania Health System in
2003 and, as CEO, is responsible for the organizational effectiveness and financial
health of a $2.0 billion enterprise that includes four hospitals, a faculty
practice plan, a primary-care provider network, three multi-specialty satellite
facilities, and home care, hospice care, and long-term care. In addition, he
works in tandem with PENN Medicine leadership on many fronts, especially the
implementation of the organization’s strategic plan.
“Ralph Muller’s extraordinary grasp of health care economics, especially
as they relate to academic medical centers, makes him a valuable resource for
the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission,” states Arthur Rubenstein,
MBBCh, Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for
the Health System and Dean of the School of Medicine. “His leadership
in the health care market has earned him the respect of his peers as well as
those in governmental circles.”
Prior to coming to UPHS, Muller served as President, CEO, and Trustee at the
University of Chicago Hospitals and Health System for 17 years. He was chairman
of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) from 1999–2000
and of the Council of Teaching Hospitals from 1997-98. He is also a Fellow of
the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Muller has written and lectured extensively on health care topics.
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PENN Medicine is a $2.5 billion enterprise dedicated to
the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and high-quality
patient care. PENN Medicine consists of the University of Pennsylvania School
of Medicine (founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school) and
the University of Pennsylvania Health System (created in 1993 as the nation’s
first integrated academic health system).
Penn’s School of Medicine is ranked #3 in the nation for receipt of NIH
research funds; and ranked #4 in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s
most recent ranking of top research-oriented medical schools. Supporting 1,400
fulltime faculty and 700 students, the School of Medicine is recognized worldwide
for its superior education and training of the next generation of physician-scientists
and leaders of academic medicine.
Penn Health System consists of four hospitals (including its flagship Hospital
of the University of Pennsylvania, consistently rated one of the nation’s
“Honor Roll” hospitals by U.S. News & World Report), a faculty
practice plan, a primary-care provider network, three multispecialty satellite
facilities, and home health care and hospice.
Release available online at http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/june04/MedPAC.html