Mike Chernew, Ph.D.

Paladin Advisor / Leonard D. Schaeffer Chair of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School / Vice Chair of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) / Member of the Congressional Budget Office’s Panel of Health Advisors and the National Academies’ Committee on National Statistics

Dr. Michael Chernew is the Leonard D. Schaeffer Chair of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School. He is considered to be among the leading experts on Value-Based Insurance Design, which aligns patient cost sharing with clinical value, with several large companies having adopted his approaches.

Dr. Chernew’s research examines several areas related to controlling health care spending growth while maintaining or improving quality of care. His work on payment reform involves the evaluation of bundled payment initiatives, including global payment models and pay-for-performance incentives.  Related research examines the effects of changes in Medicare Advantage payment rates. Additional research examines the effects of changes in Medicare Advantage payment rates; the causes and consequences of rising health care spending; and geographic variation in spending, spending growth, and quality.

Dr. Chernew currently serves as Vice Chair of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), which is an independent agency established to advise the US Congress on issues affecting the Medicare program. He is a member of the Congressional Budget Office’s Panel of Health Advisors and the National Academies’ Committee on National Statistics, which evaluates and tracks the statistical policy and coordinating activities of the federal government.

Dr. Chernew previously served on technical advisory panels for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that reviewed the assumptions used by the Medicare actuaries to assess the financial status of the Medicare trust funds. He has also served on the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Determination of Essential Health Benefits and The Commonwealth Foundation’s Commission on a High Performance Healthcare System.

Dr. Chernew currently serves as the Co-Editor of the American Journal of Managed Care and Senior Associate Editor of Health Services Research.  He has also served on the Editorial Boards of Health Affairs and Medical Care Research and Review. He holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University.

The mission of the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics is to measurably improve value in health through evidence based policy solutions, research excellence, transformative education, and private and public sector engagement. With its extraordinary breadth and depth of expertise, the Schaeffer Center will have a vital impact on the transformation of healthcare.

The Schaeffer Center was established in 2009 at and is lead by Dana Goldman, PhD. The Center is the result of a unique collaboration between the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and School of Pharmacy. The Center brings together health policy experts from the Price School, a seasoned pharmacoeconomics team from the School of Pharmacy, and other affiliated faculty and scholars from across USC and other distinguished universities.

For more information visit The Schaeffer Center website

The Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School is one of the few academic departments nationwide specializing in health policy and located in a medical school. Thus, HCP has the rare ability not only to foster the careers of physicians and social scientists (including economists, sociologists, and statisticians) but also to develop close research ties with clinicians at Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals.

Founded in 1988, HCP has moved steadily to develop rich research and teaching programs—carrying out research on today’s critical health care policy issues but also guiding those who will help shape tomorrow’s policy decisions. The issues addressed affect all Americans, regardless of age, ethnicity, race, or income.

For more information visit HCP website