Marcus Friedrich

As the Chief Medical Officer for the UnitedHealthcare The Empire Plan, Marcus is responsible for clinical leadership and strategic guidance associated with the health insurance plan. He serves as the point of contact for all internal and external clinical questions, quality improvement, and customer programs for the 1,1 million members of the Empire Plan. UnitedHealthcare is part of UnitedHealth Group. UnitedHealth Group is a health care and well-being company with a mission to help people live healthier lives and help make the health system work better for everyone. UnitedHealth Group works with governments, employers, partners, and providers to care for 149 million people and share a vision of a value-based system of care that provides compassionate and equitable care.

Marcus is a BIH Visiting Professor for the Stiftung Charité to work on the establishment of the Charité as a national leader for machine-learning sepsis innovation and comprehensive quality data collection and management.

Until recently, he was the Chief Medical Officer for the Office of Quality and Patient Safety within the New York State Department of Health. In that capacity, he worked with the clinical and administrative leadership at the New York State Department of Health to develop quality measurement and improvement programs. Marcus worked on an ongoing collaboration of clinical providers, hospitals, and payers in a statewide multi-year medical home demonstration incorporating care and payment reform, using health data exchange to engage claims and clinical, electronic health record information. He also led the statewide sepsis campaign, public reporting on cardiac services and stroke, office-based surgery, antibiotic stewardship, prenatal care, and other programs statewide.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, he served at the NY State Department of Health, supporting NY State and Governor Cuomo in implementing and managing the response effort. He supported NY State medical supplies, statewide clinical operations, and provider communication to help control the virus in this capacity. He managed call centers and supported the inventory and distribution of PPE, medical equipment, drugs, and ventilators for NY State hospitals and nursing homes.

Marcus joined the Department of Health from Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, where he worked as a Medical Director for the Northwell Health Clinical Integrated IPA (CIIPA).

He received his medical degree from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and completed his MBA at Hagen University in Hagen, Germany. He did his residency in Internal Medicine at Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital. He completed a physician administrative fellowship at Northwell Health before becoming faculty at the North Shore University Hospital Department of Medicine. He is a practicing primary care physician providing HIV care in the Albany NY/ Capital Region community.