Appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul, Adam Herbst oversees New York’s long term care industry and serves as counsel to the Governor on a range of major health policy issues. He is responsible for a $362 million budget, manages the Department of Health’s long-term care health systems and serves as the state’s spokesperson for aging and outpatient care.
Adam’s is focused on utilizing his deep understanding of healthcare delivery, including acute, post-acute and long-term care, to work with healthcare systems and providers, as well as investors and entrepreneurs, to identify and integrate developing technologies and innovative approaches to create more efficient, sustainable and high-quality care.
He has advised on government payor programs, digital health, accountable care and value-based payment and regulatory compliance. He also helps provides leadership and oversight for the administration over several aspects of the largest New York State Medicaid program, the largest in the country, and provides valuable insight and solutions to complex health care transactional, enforcement and policy matters. Adam is relied upon for his unique experience running large governmental reimbursement programming and for strategic insight into health care investments and regulation.
Over the course of his career, he has held top positions at the New York State Department of Health, hospital systems and at a federally qualified health center. Adam has led many innovative state and federal efforts, including managing New York’s first Master Plan for the Aging, the Medicaid 1115 research and demonstration waiver programs, various value-based care programs, managed care reform and social care integration strategies, and support.
Adam helped to launch, and now leads the state’s Office of Aging and Long Term Care and wrote the Governor’s Executive Order and ten-year aging plan and advising plan, advising payers and providers on the transition to value-based payment.
In this role, he has extensive experience working with the private sector, particularly with digital health initiatives and also works closely with investors / owners seeking guidance at both the strategic and transactional levels.
Before joining New York State, Adam was the Senior Vice President and Chief Legal and Strategy Officer at Blythedale Children’s Hospital, New York’s only specialty children’s hospital. He led the system’s strategic planning, helped to manage operations for a $145M campus and lead a $78M capital expansion that focused on pediatric technology and long-term care support services.
Prior to Blythedale, he Adam was the Chief Operating Officer at Heritage Health and Housing, a federally qualified health center (“FQHC”) and housing provider in upper Manhattan. Under his leadership, the FQHC qualified for enhanced reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid and expanded services to include behavioral health, substance abuse, transportation, and outpatient specialty care. He also initiated a 340B drug pricing program, affording medication access to underserved populations.
Adam graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in History and Political Science from American University and holds a law degree from Albany Law School and MBA from Union College. He has trial experience in both federal and state courts and is a frequent speaker on health care access and technology.
Adam is currently an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and New York Law School where teaches health policy and bioethics.
