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.

Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.

The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.

Penn Medicine is an $11.1 billion enterprise powered by more than 49,000 talented faculty and staff.

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