Benjamin K. Chu, MD, has joined the New York office of Manatt Health as a managing director. He will work on advancing transformational change with integrated health systems, academic medical centers and health policy leaders.

With more than 30 years of experience, Dr. Chu brings a deep knowledge of healthcare through his work in clinical, academic, nonprofit and executive leadership positions with the nation’s top health systems. As executive vice president for Kaiser Foundation and Health Plan Inc., and group president of Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California and Georgia regions, he managed the health plan and hospital operations for 14 hospitals and 237 offices. Serving more than 4.5 million members, Dr. Chu implemented fully integrated electronic health records and managed a plan to achieve a double-digit price advantage. By devoting time to leadership development and front-line engagement that emphasized delivering exceptional patient service, Dr. Chu helped create a culture that formed the foundation for Kaiser’s monumental brand transformation.

“Ben has had an impressive career as both a physician and a leader of several of the largest and most complex health systems in the country,” said William S. Bernstein, chair of Manatt Health. “Highly respected by his peers, Ben is known for his understanding of how to achieve integrated healthcare and deliver on the promise of population health. Ben’s deep commitment to achieving the highest standards of quality for our healthcare system has had a lasting impact on the institutions he has led. The insights he brings on transforming healthcare systems will be of immediate value to our clients.”

Prior to joining Manatt Health, Dr. Chu worked as Memorial Hermann Health System’s president and chief executive officer, where he led an administrative reorganization to integrate high-end medical service lines into a systemwide approach as the company’s first-ever physician CEO. As president of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corp., the largest public hospital system in the nation, he achieved financial stability in the aftermath of 9/11 and adopted a systemwide quality agenda that significantly improved patient care.

“Manatt Health is deeply committed to improving our healthcare system. Its unique blend of policy, law and strategic consulting makes this move into consulting a very exciting one for me,” said Dr. Chu. “I intend to focus my work on helping health systems throughout the country achieve the potential of integrated healthcare, and the opportunity to do so with this highly experienced team is one I am greatly looking forward to.”

Dr. Chu has also served as the board of trustees chair for the American Hospital Association, which represents the country’s hospitals and health systems. Currently, he chairs the board of directors for the Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation working toward an accessible, efficient and high-performance health system.

Dr. Chu graduated as a doctor of medicine from New York University and earned a Master of Public Health from Columbia University. He received his B.A. from Yale University.

About Manatt Health

Manatt Health is a fully integrated, multidisciplinary legal, regulatory, advocacy and strategic business advisory healthcare practice composed of professionals from Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, and its wholly owned subsidiary, Manatt Health Strategies, LLC. Manatt Health’s extensive experience spans the major issues reinventing healthcare, including payment and delivery system transformation; health IT strategy; health reform implementation; Medicaid re-design and innovation; healthcare mergers and acquisitions; regulatory compliance; privacy and security; corporate governance and restructuring; pharmaceutical market access, coverage and reimbursement; and game-changing litigation shaping emerging law. With more than 160 professionals dedicated to healthcare—including attorneys, consultants, analysts and policy advisors—Manatt Health serves its clients from nine offices across the country on projects in more than 30 states. For more information, visit https://www.manatt.com/Health.