As of January 2010, Richard G. Kronick is on leave from his job as professor and chief of the division of health care sciences at the UCSD School of Medicine's department of family and preventive medicine. He is serving as a deputy assistant secretary for health policy in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The division of health care sciences includes programs in outcome research, biostatistics, health policy, cancer prevention and medical ethics. Kronick previously served as a senior adviser to former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton for two years. He developed much of the theory behind the Clinton administration's proposal for health care reform, particularly managed competition proposals. He continues to provide technical assistance to congressional staff and members. Kronick's work in the area of health-based payment systems led to the development of the Chronic Illness and Disability Payment System (CDPS), a diagnostic classification system that state Medicaid programs can use to determine an appropriately higher level of payment to HMOs for disabled enrollees. He has modified the DPS to fit other health utilization systems since then, and more than a handful of states are putting his theories to the test as they implement their own Medicaid plans. Kronick received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Rochester in 1990.