Manatt Welcomes Senior Health Policy Advisor to Respected Health Care Group

Former Washington State Medicaid Medical Director Dr. Christopher Chen enhances health policy, clinical strategy and health equity capabilities at Manatt

 Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, a multidisciplinary, integrated professional services firm, today announced that , has joined the Firm as a senior advisor in its Health Care group. A nationally recognized physician and policymaker, Dr. Chen brings deep experience in health policy, clinical strategy and delivery system transformation, with a career dedicated to advancing access, quality and equity for underserved populations.

“Christopher brings the rare combination of frontline clinical experience and senior-level policy leadership that our clients increasingly need as they navigate complex Medicaid and public sector health care challenges in order to pursue meaningful, measurable health system change,” said , Partner and Leader of Manatt Health. “His perspective will further strengthen Manatt’s ability to help state agencies, health systems and other stakeholders design and implement policies that not only address regulatory and financial complexity but also materially improve care and outcomes.”

Dr. Chen previously served as medical director for Medicaid at the Washington State Health Care Authority, where he led clinical policy development and supported innovative purchasing and delivery strategies to improve population health and reduce disparities. He has also held clinical and operational leadership roles within a large academic integrated delivery system and worked in health care strategy consulting. At Manatt, he will advise clients on a range of matters spanning Medicaid policy, clinical strategy, health information technology, digital health, quality improvement and health equity.

“Manatt brings together the policy, legal and business know-how needed to deliver results in health care,” said Dr. Chen. “I’m excited to leverage Manatt’s integrated model and collaborate with my exceptional colleagues to design strategies that are workable, measurable and centered on exactly what our clients need.”

Dr. Chen is the latest addition to Manatt’s talented bench of professionals who work across health care this year, including global AI governance, privacy and consumer protection leader ; Senior Advisor , who is the former Chief Informatics Officer at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), with deep experience at the intersection of clinical care, health policy and enterprise technology; and National Advisor , who has over three decades of leadership experience in health care financial services.

Dr. Chen received his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, his M.B.A. from The Wharton School and his B.A. from Rutgers University. He is board certified in internal medicine and clinical informatics.