Meena Seshamani, M.D., PhD
Meena Seshamani, MD, PhD is an accomplished, strategic leader with a deep understanding of health economics and a heart-felt commitment to outstanding patient care. Her diverse background as a health care executive, health economist, physician and health policy expert has given her a unique perspective on how health policy impacts the real lives of patients. She most recently served as Vice President of Clinical Care Transformation at MedStar Health, where she conceptualized, designed, and implemented population health and value-based care initiatives and served on the senior leadership of the 10 hospital, 300+ outpatient care site health system. The care models and service lines under her leadership, including community health, geriatrics, and palliative care, have been nationally recognized by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and others. She also cared for patients as an Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Georgetown University School of Medicine.
Dr. Seshamani also brings decades of policy experience to her role, including recently serving on the leadership of the Biden-Harris Transition HHS Agency Review Team. Prior to MedStar Health, she was Director of the Office of Health Reform at the US Department of Health and Human Services, where she drove strategy and led implementation of the Affordable Care Act across the Department, including coverage policy, delivery system reform, and public health policy. She received her B.A. with Honors in Business Economics from Brown University, her M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and her Ph.D. in Health Economics from the University of Oxford, where she was a Marshall Scholar. She completed her residency training in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and practiced as a head and neck surgeon at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco.
Cheri Rice
Cheri Rice is the Deputy Director, Parts C and D, of the Center for Medicare. As Deputy, Cheri has responsibility for the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Programs. This includes oversight responsibility, operations, and policy development for the health and drug plans that serve over 40 million Medicare beneficiaries. Prior to joining CMS, Cheri served as the Director of the State of California’s Medi-Cal Managed Care Program. She was responsible for overall policy development, new program implementation and day-to-day management of the managed care program and served as lead department spokesperson for Medi-Cal managed care issues. From 1994 to 2001, Cheri held various leadership positions at CalOPTIMA, including as the Deputy Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining CalOPTIMA, Cheri served as a Medicare and Medicaid budget examiner for the Office of Management and Budget in the U.S. Executive Office of the President. Cheri holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
CM Functional Statement
- Serves as CMS' focal point for the formulation, coordination, integration, implementation, and evaluation of national Medicare program policies and operations.
- Identifies and proposes modifications to Medicare programs and policies to reflect changes or trends in the health care industry, program objectives, and the needs of Medicare beneficiaries. Coordinates with the Office of Legislation on the development and advancement of new legislative initiatives and improvements.
- Serves as CMS' lead for management, oversight, budget, and performance issues relating to Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans, Medicare fee-for-service providers, and contractors.
- Oversees all CMS interactions and collaboration with key stakeholders relating to Medicare (i.e., plans, providers, other government entities, advocacy groups, Consortia) and communication and dissemination of policies, guidance, and materials to same to understand their perspectives and to drive best practices in the health care industry.
- Develops and implements a comprehensive strategic plan, objectives, and measures to carry out CMS' Medicare program mission and goals and position the organization to meet future challenges with the Medicare program and its beneficiaries.
- Coordinates with the Center for Program Integrity on the identification of program vulnerabilities and implementation of strategies to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse.