Acting Deputy Director, C-D

Chris Smith Ritter is the Acting Deputy Director, Parts C and D, of the Center for Medicare. As Deputy, Chris has responsibility for the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Programs as well as Medicare Parts A & B enrollment policy and Parts A & B appeals policy and operations. This includes oversight responsibility, operations, and policy development for the health and drug plans that serve over 50 million Medicare beneficiaries. Chris has spent her career at CMS. She originally joined the agency from a fellowship at The George Washington University, and she went on to hold several leadership positions in CM-FFS including Deputy Director for the Hospital and Ambulatory Policy Group. Chris also spent several years in the Innovation Center as the Director of the Patient Care Models Group directing specialty care, bundled payments, and drug models, and she then rejoined CM-C/D as the Director of the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Group to build the group and to implement the new Drug Price Negotiation and Inflation Rebate Programs.  Chris holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from The College of William and Mary, a Master of Public Administration from The American University, and a PhD in Public Administration from The George Washington University.