Ralph W. Muller

National Advisor

Manatt Health

Contact

rmuller@manatt.com
Phone: 212.790.4502

Services

Academic Medicine

Industries

Manatt Health

With almost two decades of experience leading one of the nation’s top ten hospitals, Ralph Muller brings clients profound knowledge and firsthand insights into how to improve the management and delivery of health care. Academic medical centers, medical schools, hospitals and health systems turn to Ralph for guidance on critical strategic planning, organizational development, governance, health IT/telemedicine and delivery system transformation initiatives. He also advises clients on forming collaborative provider-insurer partnerships to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs.

Before joining Manatt, Ralph was the CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS), where he helped transform Philadelphia’s health care landscape, improve patient access and support breakthrough innovation. Under Ralph’s leadership, UPHS grew into a world-renowned, academic medical center-based health system caring for more than 5 million patients annually. A signature effort of his tenure is the creation of the Penn Medicine Center for Healthcare Innovation, which brings together physicians, nurses and social scientists to test new health care models.

Prior to UPHS, Ralph was president of the University of Chicago Hospitals and Health Systems. While at the University of Chicago, Ralph also served as the budget director and later as the deputy dean of the Division of Biological Sciences at the Pritzker School of Medicine.

Ralph previously held senior roles with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, including as deputy commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Welfare, where he was responsible for the state’s major health and human service programs, including Medicaid. Ralph also was a visiting fellow at the Kings Fund in London, U.K.

In addition, Ralph has held many senior leadership positions at prestigious national health care organizations and associations. Well known for his strong community engagement, he led the creation of the Penn Medicine High School Pipeline program to strengthen educational opportunity for West Philadelphia students, and the Penn Medicine CAREs grant program, which supports more than 180 community service initiatives.

Honors & Awards

Association of American Medical Colleges, Distinguished Service Award, 2001; Special Recognition Award, 2019

American Hospital Association, Distinguished Service Award, 2019

University of Pennsylvania, Ralph W. Muller Presidential Professorship, 2019

Vizient, Distinguished Service Award, 2019

Philadelphia Business Journal, Most Admired CEO Lifetime Achievement Award, 2018

Director, National Committee for Quality Assurance, 2004–present

Director, Vizient, 2016–19

Director, ECRI, 2014–present

Commissioner, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, 2001–07

Commissioner, The Joint Commission, 2008–14

Chairman, Association of American Medical Colleges, 1999–2000

Chairman, Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems, 1997–98

Chairman, University HealthSystem Consortium, 2009–10

Chairman, National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, 1991-2001

Member, National Academies of Medicine, 2008–present

Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1999–present

Co-author, “Using Behavioral Economics to Design Physician Incentives That Deliver High-Value Care.” Ann Intern Med. 2016; 164(2): 114–119.

Co-author, “Asymmetric Thinking about Return on Investment.” N Engl J Med 2016; 374: 606–608.

Co-author, “Commentary on “Is the System Really the Solution? Operating Costs in Hospital Systems: Limits to System Efficiency in Centralized Hospital Systems: Illustration From the University of Pennsylvania Health System.” Medical Care Research and Review, 2015; 72(3): 273–276.

Co-author, “Is the System Really the Solution? Operating Costs in Hospital Systems.” Medical Care Research and Review 2015; 72(3): 247–272.

Co-author “Conflicts and Compromises in Not Hiring Smokers.” N Engl J Med 2013; 368: 1371–1373.

Co-author “Automated hovering in health care: watching over the 5,000 hours.” N Engl J Med 2012; 367: 1–3.

Co-author, “The Changing Configuration of Hospital Systems: Centralization, Federalization or Fragmentation?” Advances in Health Care Management, Volume 13, Emerald Group Publishing, Ltd., U.K., 2012.

Co-author, “History of Hospital/Physician Relationships: Obstacles, Opportunities, and Issues.” In Jay Crosson and Laura Tollen (Eds.), Partners in Health (Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Policy, Oakland, CA). 2010.

Co-author “Hospital-Physician Collaboration: Landscape of Economic Integration and Impact on Clinical Integration.” Milbank Quarterly. 2008.

Author, “Great Britain’s Efforts to Provide Comprehensive Health Care in Enabling Prospective Health Care.” 2002 Duke Private Sector Conference. North Carolina. Duke University Medical Center & Health System Press, 2002.

Co-author, “Does Economic Theory Justify Changing Policy That Works?” Health Affairs, March/April 2001.

Author, “What Matters: Making the Case for Public Support of Teaching Hospitals and Medical Schools.” Academic Medicine, February 2001.

Author, “The Academic Health Center and the University: Strange Bedfellows,” The Academic Health Center in the 21^st Century: 1995 Duke Private Sector Conference. North Carolina: Raven Press, 1995.