Dr. Steven Chen has received special recognition from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Partnership for Public Service for his “diligent work, authentic collaboration with patients, clinicians and partners, and unprecedented national impact on patient safety.”
The honor was conferred by CMS officials Paul McGann, chief medical officer for quality improvement, Jean D. Moody-Williams, deputy director of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality, and Dennis Wagner, director of the Quality Improvement and Innovation Group — together with The Partnership for Public Service — at the CMS Quality Conference in December. The event attracted more than 2,000 healthcare leaders.
The recognition acknowledged Chen with helping save 87,000 lives and $19.8 billion in costs, as well as with 2.1 million fewer patient harms. He is noted for his work in improving medication use and access to primary care among underserved populations. These efforts led to serving as co-investigator on a $12 million CMS innovation grant placing clinical pharmacy teams in safety-net clinics throughout Los Angeles.