Making Policy Innovation Work: Lessons from the CMS Innovation Center

Policy innovation requires more than a strong idea. It depends on the people, culture, and operational discipline needed to turn that idea into something that can work in practice. Pauline J. Lapin and Laurie McWright, former leaders at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, join Coral Partner Kate Freeman to reflect on lessons from their decades of public service and their recent Milbank Quarterly Opinion. Their conversation explores how leaders build teams that can navigate uncertainty, use data and stakeholder feedback without losing objectivity, align policy design with operational realities, and sustain trust and mission alignment as priorities evolve. 

Episode Resources:

• Guiding Principles for Cultivating a Sustainable Culture for Policy Innovation

• Pauline Lapin

• Laurie McWright