Meet Elizabeth Fowler:

Elizabeth Fowler, J.D., Ph.D. is the Deputy Administrator and Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMS Innovation Center). Previously, she was Executive Vice President for Programs at the Commonwealth Fund and served as Vice President for Global Health Policy at Johnson & Johnson. She received a Ph.D. in Health Policy from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a law degree from the University of Minnesota.

Key Insights:

The Innovation Center generates and tests new approaches for payment and delivery. It works to move the health system away from fee-for-service and towards a system that rewards better outcomes for patients.

• The Innovation Center’s Priorities. The top 5 priorities of the Innovation Center are driving accountable care, advancing health equity, supporting care innovation, improving access by addressing affordability, and creating partnerships with public and private entities to achieve transformation. (9:27)
• The Speed of Innovation. Healthcare transformation is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes around 18 months to two years to conceptualize and implement an innovation model, and three to five years to collect meaningful results. (12:36)
• Patient at the Center. Dr. Fowler emphasizes that innovation should result in better outcomes for the patient. The Innovation Center conducted focus groups to determine the metrics most important to patients, and to better communicate innovation in relatable terms. (23:57)  

Relevant Links: 

• Learn more about the Innovation Center
• Read Dr. Fowler’s articles from The Commonwealth Fund
• Follow the Innovation Center on Twitter