In this episode, we sit down with Eduardo F. Ortiz, a visionary CEO and Marine Corps combat veteran, whose journey from government service to entrepreneurship has been driven by a singular passion: breaking down barriers to access critical services. As the CEO of Coforma, Eduardo leads a team that designs cutting-edge technology solutions, making life easier for countless people. Tune in to hear how his time as a software engineer and product strategist shaped his approach to innovation, and how his leadership philosophy is helping change the digital landscape for the better. With an MBA from the University of Maryland and a drive to serve, Eduardo shares his inspiring story of growth, resilience, and the power of technology to create real impact. Don’t miss this compelling conversation! Eduardo F. Ortiz is CEO of Coforma, a digital services firm that crafts creative technology solutions that help people live better lives. He is a combat Veteran who served in the United States Marine Corps and several government civilian agencies. Eduardo is passionate about leveraging product and technology practices to remove points of friction that prevent people from accessing critical services. This passion has driven his professional journey from a software engineer and product strategist to an entrepreneur. He holds an MBA from the University of Maryland. Eduardo lives in Maryland with his wife, son, and two dogs. 

  Welcome to this episode of Keeping IT Brief, where we dive deep into the world of technology with the experts shaping its future. Today, we’re thrilled to welcome Steve Orrin, Intel’s Federal Chief Technology Officer. Steve is a heavyweight in the tech world, spearheading Public Sector Solution Architecture, Strategy, and Technology Engagements at Intel. His career is a testament to leadership in cybersecurity and innovative technology, with past roles including CSO at Sarvega, CTO of Sanctum, co-founder of LockStar, and CTO at SynData Technologies.Steve has been recognized as one of InfoWorld's Top 25 CTOs and received accolades such as Executive Mosaic’s Top CTO Executives Award and Washington Exec's Top Chief Technology Officers to Watch in 2023. He has also made significant contributions to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and is a prominent fellow at the Center for Advanced Defense Studies. As the chair of the INSA Cyber Committee, Steve’s expertise spans the critical intersection of cybersecurity and technology strategy.In today’s episode, we'll delve into Steve’s insights on navigating the complex landscape of enterprise security, risk mitigation, and the future of cybersecurity. Whether you’re a tech enthusiast, a cybersecurity professional, or just curious about the cutting-edge solutions shaping our digital world, this is one episode you won’t want to miss. Steven OrrinSteve Orrin is Intel’s Federal CTO and leads Public Sector Solution Architecture, Strategy, and Technology Engagements. He has held technology leadership positions at Intel where leading cybersecurity programs, custom hardware and software architecture and solutions, products, and strategy. Steve is a cybersecurity expert and sought-after advisor to public and private sector leaders on enterprise security, risk mitigations, and securing complex systems. Steve was previously CSO for Sarvega, CTO of Sanctum, CTO and co-founder of LockStar, and CTO at SynData Technologies. He was named one of InfoWorld's Top 25 CTO's, received Executive Mosaic’s Top CTO Executives Award, is a Washington Exec Top Chief Technology Officers to Watch in 2023, was the Vice-Chair of the NSITC/IDESG Security Committee and was a Guest Researcher at NIST’s National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE). He is a fellow at the Center for Advanced Defense Studies and the chair of the INSA Cyber Committee.Intel CorpIntel Corporation designs, manufactures, and sells computer components, software, and related products. We create world-changing technology that improves the life of every person on the planet.Intel put the silicon in Silicon Valley. For more than 50 years, Intel and our people have had a profound influence on the world, driving business and society forward by creating radical innovation that revolutionizes the way we live. Today we are applying our reach, scale, and resources to enable our customers to capitalize more fully on the power of digital technology. Inspired by Moore’s Law, we continuously work to advance the design and manufacturing of semiconductors to help address our customers’ greatest challenges. 

Data standards play a crucial role in fostering collaboration and interoperability within the healthcare and public health sectors. These standards are designed to enhance data exchange efficiency and support diverse healthcare environments.Today we speak to from Leidos, Yoseph Asfaw, Chief Technology OfficerAustin Kreisler, HL7 Subject Mater Expert, on how health data standards are developed, shared, and maintained by the HL7 International organization in cooperation with the members of the healthcare/public health ecosystem – HL7’s Version 2 (V2), HL7's Version 3 Clinical Document Architecture (CDA®) and Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR). These data standards show a maturation to embrace technology advancements and expand adaptability for improved interoperability, increased speed of care and public health decision-making, and expanded health equity across society.Yoseph Asfaw serves as Chief Technology Officer for Leidos Health and Civil Sector in Capability Integration, where he leads development of innovative technical solutions for Health and Civilian customers in areas of Data Strategy and Governance and AI readiness. Mr. Asfaw most recently led Digital Modernization efforts across a large porfolio for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and broaderHHS, overseeing best practoces in DevSecOps, User Experience, and Product Delivery. Originally from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he is recipient of the 2021 National Award for “Disruptive Change Agent Shifting the Landscape” by G2Xchange for his leadership in transforming the government’s technology landscape bydelivering modern and high-performance applications for use by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).Austin Kreisler serves as HL7 Subject Mater Expert for Leidos Health with expertise in the clinical and laboratory interface arena as interface support engineer, interface software developer, interface software designer, and an HL7 standards developer. He has more than 20 years of experience of various leadership experience within the HL7 organization and formerly served on the HL7 Technical Steering Commitee, Structured Documents Work Group, and Board of Directors. Leidos is a Fortune 500® technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world’s toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets. The company’s 45,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $14.4 billion for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2022. For more information, visit www.leidos.com 

Value-based payment models have become increasingly important across healthcare as tools for reducing costs and improving the quality of care that patients receive. Many of these models have been the focus of large-scale experiments and require the use of large, data complex systems. Robin Weinick, Principal of Resonant, LLC, Aneesh Chopra, Chief Strategy Officer at Arcadia, and Don Simpson, Director at Guidehouse, discuss issues associated with data and AI in value-based models.  Robin Weinick, PhD, Principal, Resonant, LLCRobin brings three decades of experience working to improve U.S. healthcare system. In her current role as Principal of Resonant, LLC, she works with a wide variety of healthcare executives from diverse organizations, supporting them as a facilitator, executive coach, and consultant.Aneesh Chopra, Chief Strategy Officer, ArcadiaAneesh served as the first U.S. Chief Technology Officer under President Obama (’09-’12) and in 2014, authored, “Innovative State: How New Technologies can Transform Government.” He serves on the Board of the Health Care Cost Institute, the New Jersey Innovation Institute, and earned his MPP from Harvard Kennedy School and BA from The Johns Hopkins University.Don Simpson, Director, GuidehouseDon brings more than 20 years of experience providing management consulting to the federal government and private sector. He currently guides project delivery at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), as well as drives business growth in the public health and commercial health markets. His expertise includes program/project management, digital services, strategy, performance management, process improvement, risk management, internal control, and information technology assurance.  

OMB recently announced its first-ever government-wide policies to mitigate the risks of AI and harness its benefits for government agencies. This guidance will provide agencies with guardrails to ensure ethical use, citizen privacy, transparency, and promote IT modernization and competition across each sector.Today we speak to Principal Solutions Architect at Sev1Tech, Greg Porter,  on how as agencies ramp up adoption of AI tools to increase operational efficiency and streamline workflows, it’s imperative to practice responsible AI use to harness its vast benefits and minimize risks.  Greg Porter, Principal Solutions Architect at Sev1TechGreg Porter is the Principal Solutions Architect at Sev1Tech. Since October 2021, he has led the Artificial Intelligence team as well as the company’s Digital Twin and Digital Thread efforts. For more than 12 years, Greg Porter has been a noteworthy leader in the IT industry. Prior to Sev1Tech, he was a Senior Systems Architect at Geocent, leading data analytics for logistics and Hadoop cluster projects, and Senior Big Data Administrator at Honeywell FM&T, where he was responsible for Big Data infrastructure design, configuration, installation, and security. Greg Porter has been honored with multiple Innovator of the Year awards for his contributions to Sev1Tech and, formerly, Geocent. He holds a master's degree in data analytics from Western Governors University.Sev1Tech provides IT modernization, cloud, cybersecurity, engineering, training, and program support services to U.S. government agencies and major commercial organizations. Headquartered in the Washington D.C. metro area, Sev1Tech is a trusted contractor supporting critical missions across the defense, intelligence, homeland security, space, and health markets. Sev1Tech delivers better solutions, faster through highly qualified people, CMMI SVC 3, ISO 9001, ISO 20000, ISO 27001, and ISO 27017 certified processes, and cutting-edge technology. 

Healthcare professionals increasingly use wireless devices such as smartphones and mobile apps as healthcare organizations become more dependent on mobile services for gathering patient data, monitoring remote patients and more. But as the number of devices healthcare organizations use increases and their functions and locations expand, management becomes more complex.Today we speak with  DJ Oreb, President, Managed Services at DMI about how from cybersecurity risks to remote device maintenance logistics to BYOD, hospitals and other healthcare organizations can put themselves and their patients at risk without appropriate attention to all elements of mobile management.   DJ Oreb, President, Managed Services at DMIAs the President of Managed Services, DJ provides guidance and customer insights while retaining loyal and satisfied customers in today’s mobile-connected world. He possesses extensive industry experience in mobile lifecycle management, mobile strategy, help desk, telecom expense management, procurement and MDM management. DJ helps build strong reputable relationships to develop robust mobile programs for customers that drive business results to enhance and grow their mobile eco-system and user experience.Upon joining DMI, DJ brought with him an extensive background of Information Technology, operations management, mobility management, managed services, systems administration, and project management experience. His customer-focused approach has brought customers new insights on how they manage their mobile programs today. DMI is a leading global provider of digital services at the intersection of the public and private sectors. With broad capabilities, including infrastructure support services, cybersecurity, cloud, and application development, DMI provides on-site and remote support to clients within governments, healthcare, financial services, transportation, manufacturing, and other critical infrastructure sectors. DMI is continually recognized as a Top Workplace in both regional and national categories.  

Health disparities impair attainment of, and opportunity to attain, optimal health for all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, geography, preferred language, and other factors that affect access to care and health outcomes.The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services mark improved health care access as a priority area for the agency and the federal health community – this is evident through CMS’s Framework for Health Equity which strives to identify and remedy systemic barriers to access so that every one of the people CMS serves has a fair and just opportunity to attain their optimal health.Today on Keeping IT Brief, Darryl Roberts, VP of Health Informatics at RELI Group, discusses how the Framework highlights priority areas and efforts that can help address avoidable inequalities and eliminate health and health care disparities – one area of note is the use of data and data analytics. The process of analyzing healthcare data to improve quality of care is a core approach and one that will be essential for future health care efforts. Details found through effective data analytics can be translated to inform public use files, technical documents, clearance processes, publications and more, ultimately helping guide public health policy.  Darryl RobertsVP of Health Informatics at RELI GroupDarryl W. Roberts, PhD, MS, RN, FHIMSS, FAAN, brings more than three decades of diverse healthcare and informatics experience to RELI Group, having demonstrated profound expertise in healthcare quality, informatics, policy and management.Dr. Roberts, a PhD-prepared registered nurse, has an extensive background that encompasses roles ranging from clinical practice, education and research to policy advisory and high-level consultancy. His noteworthy contributions include the development of pioneering quality measures and advancing informatics practices to optimize healthcare outcomes. His past experiences with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have positioned him uniquely to lead RELI Group’s health informatics strategies into the future.RELI GroupBased near Baltimore, Maryland, RELI Group is a leading organization and partner in the federal and SLG arena, supporting health IT initiatives and security missions since 2013.The company collaborates with agencies throughout the government that touch the lives of every American, with goals of improving health, safety and security from coast to coast. Ranging from cybersecurity and data analysis to health informatics and national security, RELI Group is prepared to support various mission-critical operations across the government. 

The public sector is ramping up efforts to manage mobile device security risks. The House recently released a draft of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which includes a measure requiring the Secretary of Defense to evaluate the services available to help the DOD secure mobile devices.Today on Keeping IT Brief, Jim Coyle, U.S. Public Sector Chief Technology Officer, Lookout discusses how with the rise of BYOD policies in government, criminals are using increasingly sophisticated tactics and malware-as-a-service kits to target agencies' mobile devices and steal sensitive data. Most alarmingly, the timeline for these attacks has accelerated dramatically—from months to minutes. As such, agencies must ensure proper security practices are in place to protect employee mobile devices and defend national security. Jim Coyle, U.S. Public Sector Chief Technology Officer, LookoutJim Coyle serves as the US Public Sector CTO at Lookout, drawing upon two decades of hands-on experience in cybersecurity to assist government agencies in fortifying their defenses. Jim is a cyber security industry thought leader, delving into geopolitical cyber issues, emerging threats, defense tactics, and industry developments, offering valuable insights cultivated throughout his career.Lookout, Inc.Lookout, Inc. is the data-centric cloud security company that uses a defense-in-depth strategy to address the different stages of a modern cybersecurity attack, which now starts with mobile. Data is at the core of every organization, and our approach to cybersecurity is designed to protect that data within today’s evolving threat landscape no matter where or how it moves. People — and human behavior — are central to the challenge of protecting data, which is why organizations need total visibility into threats in real time, starting with the mobile endpoint. The Lookout Cloud Security Platform is purpose-built to stop modern breaches as swiftly as they unfold, from the first mobile phishing text to the final cloud data extraction. We are trusted by enterprises and government agencies of all sizes to protect the sensitive data they care about most, enabling them to work and connect freely and securely.  

Today on Keeping IT Brief, we have a special guest: Dr. Dolores Kuchina-Musina, author of the groundbreaking book "Public Procurement for Innovation: Research and Development at the US Federal Level."In her insightful book, co-authored with Benjamin McMartin, Dolores presents a comprehensive analysis of the innovative contract vehicles driving progress in the United States. Discover how these alternative approaches are revolutionizing public procurement and fostering groundbreaking advancements.Join us for an engaging discussion and gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms behind federal innovation. Don't miss this opportunity to explore the future of public procurement and research and development! Dolores Kuchina-Musina holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration and Policy and a Master of Business Administration from Old Dominion University. She received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Christopher Newport University. She has been published in the Journal of Public Procurement, Politics, and Policy and is working on additional research. Dr. Kuchina-Musina has a graduate certificate in Public Procurement and Contract Management (PPCM), is a Certified Federal Contract Manager (CFCM), and is a National Contract Management Association (NCMA) Fellow. Her research focus includes innovation policy, Other Transaction Authorities, federal procurement reform, and decisionmaking models. Dr. Kuchina-Musina is the CEO/Founder at REXOTA Solutions, LLC, a consulting company in the DC-Metro area, focusing on strategy, planning, pursuit, capture, management, and administration of federal contract/agreement awards. Dr. Kuchina-Musina has over a decade of experience in federal, state, and international public procurement, specifically directing and managing strategic pursuits in collaboration with business development, proposal development, and change management initiatives for Federal procurement acquisitions. She has also been a strategic partner in providing risk management support for Federal compliance contracts for public and private sector organizations.

Global geopolitical changes, weather, health and macroeconomics play a part in managing our everyday supply chain. Addressing these factors while accounting for operational agency challenges are becoming a critical part of a supply chain practitioners job. Gaps in reliable, complete data, integrated analysis, undocumented risk assessment procedures, and unclear roles and responsibilities are contributing factors to a vulnerable supply chain risk management program. Elizabeth (“Beth”) Van Absher, Director of the NIH Division of Logistics Services (DLS), and Moshe Nelson, Partner in Guidehouse’s Defense & Security Segment, provide public and private sector perspectives on how we can collectively further supply chain resilience.Elizabeth Van Absher, Director of Logistics Services and Supply Chain Management, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Elizabeth "Beth" Van Absher is the director of Logistics Services and Supply Chain Management at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) overseeing $1.9B worth of accountable personal property, fleet, and the NIH Supply Center (NIHSC). The NIHSC is the agency’s priority source for laboratory, fire, safety, and administrative supplies, and is the agency’s mandated source for personal protective equipment (PPE). Van Absher is the lead for the NIH Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) Council, in addition to serving as the agency representative on the HHS SCRM. She is a critical driver of good for government outcomes, ensuring supply chain stability through strategic sourcing, enterprise data sharing, collaboration, and modernization.Van Absher is an integral part of the NIH and HHS teams to implement the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Public Law 117-58, collaborating across acquisitions, policy, HHS agencies and suppliers to ensure compliance with IIJA. Beth was also the lead for the PPE Plan of Action under Section 708 of the Defense Production Act in Response to COVID-19, during which the NIH Supply Center provided critical PPE to national intake sites on behalf of HHS to volunteers, children, families, and refugees. She also served as the agency lead for nitrile glove enterprise sourcing on behalf of HHS’s BuySmarter program.Moshe Nelson, Partner GuidehouseBio: Moshe has provided supply chain management strategy, technology, and analytics across the public and private sector for nearly twenty years. As a result, clients have reduced operating costs by over $300M, fielded advanced technologies in an efficient and effective manner, and established accountable and data driven means for critical lifecycle supply chain management. Moshe has supported the health, defense, homeland security, diplomatic, and infrastructure arenas to improve supply chain resiliency across the United States.GuidehouseGuidehouse is a leading global provider of consulting services to the public sector and commercial markets, with broad capabilities in management, technology, and risk consulting. By combining our public and private sector expertise, we help clients address their most complex challenges and navigate significant regulatory pressures focusing on transformational change, business resiliency, and technology-driven innovation. Across a range of advisory, consulting, outsourcing, and digital services, we create scalable, innovative solutions that help our clients outwit complexity and position them for future growth and success.

As of January 1, 2024, CMS implemented new policies for addressing health-related social needs (HRSN) to proactively treat and better understand the needs of our country's most underserved and chronically ill populations. These policies will support physicians that help patients identify and connect with the appropriate clinical and community resources to address unmet HRSN that may influence a patient's treatment.Today we speak with Kamala Green, social drivers of health program manager at National Government Services, and we discuss as social, economic, and physical factors affecting patient health evolve and diversify, it's important that federal health agencies continue to prioritize health equity practices and initiatives to provide the highest quality of care possible for every citizen. Kamala Green, social drivers of health program manager at National Government Services, an Elevance Health CompanyIn her current position as the Social Drivers of Health Program Manager at National Government Services, Kamala assists with strategic design, implementation and evaluation of social drivers of health initiatives, where she partners to recommend initiatives related to unmet social needs, such as food, housing, legal support and income. Since joining NGS in November 2021, Kamala is instrumental in level setting and shaping the agenda for health equity and the social drivers of health (SDOH), specifically for Medicare.National Government ServicesFor more than 50 years, National Government Services has been empowering federal healthcare agencies to improve lives and communities and deliver care to millions of Americans through outcome-driven innovation. The company helps bridge the technology gap to make IT an enabler of healthcare, not an obstacle to operations. Its core business areas include digital health, providing federal IT solutions and services for healthcare, and business process solutions. This includes its role as a Medicare contractor for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 

 The AIM-AHEAD program mission is to enhance the participation of underrepresented communities in the development of AI/ML models. The program improves the capabilities of this emerging technology, beginning with electronic health records (EHR) and extending to other diverse data to address health disparities and inequities.Today we speak with the CEO and Founder of stackArmor Gaurav "GP" Pal on their program. Gaurav “GP” Pal, CEO and Founder of stackArmorGaurav “GP” Pal, CEO and Founder, has over 20 years of IT consulting experience with large US Government, Defense, and Commercial Organizations driving cloud adoption and implementing NIST security standards for FedRAMP, FISMA, and DFARS/CMMC 2.0 compliance.GP’s countless industry and government relationships led stackArmor to establish an AI Risk Management Center of Excellence (CoE), comprised of former prominent federal government technology experts, including Maria Roat, Suzette Kent and Richard Spires. stackArmor and its CoE work closely with government to ensure safe AI adoption.stackArmor stackArmor provides FedRAMP, StateRAMP, DOD CC SRG, FISMA/RMF, and CMMC/DFARS compliance acceleration services on leading hyperscale cloud providers. stackArmor’s ATO for AI™ and ThreatAlert® ATO Accelerator Security Platform reduces the time and cost of an ATO by 40%. We serve enterprise customers in Defense, Aerospace, Space, Government, and Healthcare markets as well as ISV’s looking to offer cloud solutions for Government. 

Enhancing performance, readiness, and resilience for service members and their families is paramount for several reasons. First and foremost, optimized performance ensures military effectiveness, which is critical for national defense. Next, readiness that encompasses whole health, preparedness, and skill development ensures that service members have what they need for rapid response to evolving threats. Finally, building resilience to maintain their well-being is crucial for coping with the unique challenges faced by military service members and their families. Today, Kevin Kaiser, serving as Division Manager, Performance and Readiness at Leidos, takes a look at how improved performance, readiness, and resilience not only contributes to mission success, but also enhances the overall quality of life – reinforcing the military's capability to navigate dynamic scenarios while prioritizing the physical, mental, and emotional welfare of those dedicated to serving their nation.Kevin Kaiser serves as Division Manager, Performance and Readiness at Leidos and has 30 years of experience managing and executing tasks on military health contracts in the areas of performance, readiness, and research involving more than 1,400 employees supporting dozens of programs across the United States and international locations. Kaiser graduated from UCLA in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and then earned a master’s degree in public health at San Diego State University in 1994, with a concentration in epidemiology and biostatistics.  

Today we speak with Amanda Warfield.  Amanda currently leads the Optum Serve program integrity practice, overseeing support and integration of key IT capabilities and solutions for Federal agencies.Amanda Warfield Amanda manages a portfolio of projects supporting agencies across the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, while supporting growth and strategic direction for the organization. She also spearheads Optum Serve’s internal research and development investments in cutting edge technologies and solutions designed to meet emerging federal needs. Her works includes fostering collaboration across Optum’s enterprise, identifying opportunities for private to public partnerships to solve problems. Amanda has worked with Federal government clients for more than a decade in designing and implementing approaches to tackle key challenges like fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs. She holds a master’s degree in communication management and is certified in SAFe agile, and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).Optum Serve  As the federal health services business of Optum and UnitedHealth Group, Optum Serve offers federal agencies the robust health IT solutions that have proven successful at one of the largest health care organizations in the world — UnitedHealth Group. Our unrivaled health care knowledge combined with our end-to-end technology allows us to be a unique and reliable partner.

The healthcare sector is ramping up activity regarding its implementation of AI technology. Recently, the American Hospital Association expressed support for a “sector-specific” approach to AI regulations to both mitigate patient risk and allow organizations to harness the potential of these technologies. The following week, the NSA launched the AI Security Center to lead AI security protocols, analyzing its effect on U.S. hospitals and health systems.As healthcare organizations continue to adopt AI solutions into their operational workflows, it’s imperative that the benefits and risks are thoroughly analyzed, and proper security regulations are in place to protect patient data while providing the highest quality of care available. Judy Jiao, Chief Information Officer at National Government Services, an Elevance Health CompanyJudy Jiao serves as the Chief Information Officer at National Government Services. She’s leading the organization through a digital transformation based on human-centered design, which is in alignment with the government’s path to modernization. With over 20 years of experience in the health care industry, she’s driven by her passion to help people improve their health conditions. Judy takes pride in providing the best business technology solutions possible to advance the effectiveness and quality of health care.  National Government ServicesFor more than 50 years, National Government Services has been empowering federal healthcare agencies to improve lives and communities and deliver care to millions of Americans through outcome-driven innovation. The company helps bridge the technology gap to make IT an enabler of healthcare, not an obstacle to operations. Its core business areas include digital health, providing federal IT solutions and services for healthcare, and business process solutions. This includes its role as a Medicare contractor for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 

Is AI gearing up to take over the world?  Today we talk with Art Villanueva the Chief AI/ML Technology Architect at Dell Federal Strategic Programs about the types of AI and what he sees for the future.Art VillanuevaChief AI/ML Technology ArchitectDell Federal Strategic ProgramsDr. Art Villanueva is the Chief AI/ML Technology Architect for Dell Technologies’ Federal Strategic Programs where he advises, evangelizes, and molds Dell Federal’s posture in the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence. Prior to Dell, Dr. Villanueva’s experience spanned multiple other industries. In the Defense sector, he served as Chief Architect for billion-dollar programs at Northrop Grumman. In the public transportation arena, he led systems engineering activities for large-scale city-wide transportation systems at Cubic. Dr. Villanueva was a successful entrepreneur, having co-founded two startups in the sustainable energy industry, one now publicly trading on NASDAQ. Dr. Villanueva is an inventor, holding utility patents and publishing peer-reviewed papers. He holds a D.Eng. degree in Systems Engineering from Colorado State University, specializing in meta-algorithmics for natural language processing, an M.A.S. degree in Architecture-based Enterprise Systems Engineering from UCSD, and a B.S. degree in Applied Mathematics with a Specialization in Computing from UCLA.Dell TechnologiesDell Technologies is a global technology leader, with a strong commitment to advancing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) solutions both through internal research and development and strategic partnerships. Leveraging their extensive expertise in hardware, software, and services, Dell Technologies empowers organizations to harness the full potential of AI and ML to solve their most challenging use cases. Dell offers a comprehensive portfolio of AI-ready infrastructure, including powerful servers and storage solutions designed to accelerate AI workloads. Dell also collaborates with leading AI partners, resulting in innovative and tailored solutions for various industries, from healthcare, energy, defense, and virtually any other industry. Dell ensures that customers have access to cutting-edge AI technologies and expertise, enabling them to unlock new insights and drive digital transformation. Their commitment to AI ethics and responsible AI development underscores their dedication to delivering ethical and secure AI implementations in collaboration with their trusted partners.

The public focus of EHR modernization has been on configuring a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solution that blends all the requirements that are unique to the VA with a system that is widely used in the commercial sector. But equally or even more importantly, the VA needs to continue to invest in, maintain, and upgrade its current EHR – the Veterans Health Information System Technology Architecture (VistA).Today we discuss these insights which are from a recent Federal News Network guest article authored by David Whitmer, FACHE, vice president for federal operations at DSS Inc. David also discusses how no matter what the outcome of the COTS solution, VistA will remain the vital backbone of VA operations.David Whitmer, FACHE, Vice President for Federal Operations at DSS Inc.Mr. Whitmer is the Vice President, Federal Operations at DSS Inc., and is a board-certified healthcare executive with 30 years of public health experience at the National Institutes of Health and the Veterans Health Administration, including 20 years in C-suite positions, and 10 years as member of the Senior Executive Service.DSS Inc.Document Storage Systems, Inc. (DSS) is a catalyst for health care innovation, keeping pace with evolving technologies as a solutions provider, systems integrator, and services contractor to the Department of Veterans Affairs. DSS is committed to assisting VA in its High Reliability Organization journey and delivering care quality for Veterans by meeting top initiatives, changing regulatory requirements, and implementing enhanced business transformation across VA enterprise.

As the federal government makes continuous strides toward modernizing health IT programs, such as the federal EHR program, healthcare organizations have become a prime target for cybercriminals given the incredible volume of sensitive data and digitized patient records. At the same time, healthcare agencies must have the ability to share, access and analyze critical data to support projects focused on population health and patient journey or patient experience. Today we talk to Mark Mellott, Executive VP of DOD and VA at iTech AG, to discuss: The essential role cybersecurity strategies play in federal healthcare initiatives and why it's essential for sensitive topics/data. Steps for overcoming barriers in the ability to share healthcare/patient data, such as adopting platform governance structures. How healthcare agencies can effectively modernize without compromising security through a Zero Trust approach.   Mark Mellott, Executive Vice President of Defense and Veteran Affairs Mark Mellott is the Executive Vice President of Defense and Veteran Affairs for iTech AG. He leverages his government, military, and health IT background to help defense agencies streamline operations and create impactful results through modern IT solutions.Mark retired from the U.S. Army after more than 24 years of service. Additionally, Mark is a Senior Lecturer at Clemson University for the Master of Public Administration Program (MPA). He is published in peer-reviewed academic and professional journals and has presented his work at various conferences and consortia. iTech AGFounded in 2008, iTech AG is a technology consulting firm that helps federal, state, local, and private organizations streamline their operations to achieve better, faster, and more predictable results. Using a wide range of innovative solutions, the company modernizes customers’ systems and processes to help them unlock their true potential. iTech AG is the only 8(a) disadvantaged small business that is a ServiceNow Elite Partner, and were recently awarded 8(a) STARS III, a Government Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) vehicle with a $50 billion ceiling. 

 The DOD’s Defense Healthcare Management System Modernization program, known as DHMSM, is a technology and healthcare transformation project designed to standardize the delivery of healthcare for nearly 10 million service members and their families. DHMSM is a program management office under the Program Executive Office, Defense Healthcare Management Systems (PEO DHMS)The MHS GENESIS electronic health record system, developed by PEO DHMS and the Leidos Partnership for Defense Health, is a commercial solution that connects inpatient and outpatient medical and dental information, from the point of injury to the military treatment facility, providing a single longitudinal record. DHMSM leads MHS GENESIS deployment.PEO DHMS and LPDH have now successfully deployed MHS GENESIS to all primary DOD location in the Continual United States (CONUS). The team is now taking additional steps to deploy the system overseas through OCONUS waves in Europe and Asia by the end of 2023, as well as to a joint VA-DOD facility in early 2024.I’m joined today by Col. Christina Sheets, DHMSM program manager, and Mr. Raymond Okeke, Senior Vice President, and LPDH program manager.Col. Christina Sheets, DOD Healthcare System Modernization (DHMSM) Program ManagerCol. Christina Sheets of the United States Air Force serves as the program manager for the DOD Healthcare Management System Modernization (DHMSM) program management office. In this role, she provides acquisition leadership and management expertise for deploying the Department of Defense's electronic health record, MHS GENESIS. Col. Sheets is also a practicing dentist.Raymond Okeke, Senior Vice President, and LPDH program manager at LeidosMr. Raymond Okeke currently leads and manages the Leidos Partnership for Defense Health (LPDH) to execute the $4.3B Defense Healthcare Management System Modernization (DHMSM) program. LPDH is a diverse team, with two dozen partner companies and ~5,000 employees dedicated to building, deploying and innovating the MHS GENESIS Electronic Health Record (EHR) system for the Department of Defense (DOD) and other Federal government agencies.MHS GENESIS, with 60+ system interfaces and over 1,000 workflows, is arguably the world’s largest single, modern EHR system and is transforming the way the DOD provides military and veteran healthcare. Deployed to over 3,000 locations worldwide with more than 160,000 end-users, the system delivers and documents healthcare for nearly 7 million beneficiaries (9.6 million beneficiaries when fully deployed in 2024).About DHMSM: DHMSM leads DOD deployment and sustainment activities for MHS GENESIS, the federal sector’s modernized electronic health record. DHMSM is a program management office under Defense Healthcare Management Systems (DHMS); DHMS reports directly to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.About Leidos: Leidos is a Fortune 500® technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, civil and health markets. Leidos' 46,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Va., Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $14.4 billion for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2022. For more information, visit www.leidos.com.  

The Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) announced the latest round of CX investments, and as part of the current funding round, the VA has been awarded $7.4 million to help streamline veterans’ access to health care, disability benefits, and education by digitizing forms.Today, we speak with Rita Breen of NGS on how IT modernization initiatives such as the digitization of government forms can drastically improve CX and EX at federal health agencies. However, to ensure such initiatives are successful and deliver maximum value for users, it’s imperative to utilize human-centered design (HCD) principles. Rita Breen, Agile and Human-Centered Design Practices Director at National Government Services, an Elevance Health CompanyIn her current position as the Agile and Human Centered Design Practices Director at National Government Services, Rita’s primary goal is to solve mission-critical challenges for federal health customers. She has nearly two decades of project management (PM) experience and has been a part of the National Government Services team since 2018. Rita supports the technical project management and human-centered design teams that drive a customer-centered approach to federal health solutions. She and her team focus on solving major pain points while bolstering quality and improving customer experiences. Rita is truly passionate about identifying the key needs of citizens, setting actionable metrics and striving to meet them with empathy and understanding.National Government ServicesFor more than 50 years, National Government Services has been empowering federal healthcare agencies to improve lives and communities and deliver care to millions of Americans through outcome-driven innovation. The company helps bridge the technology gap to make IT an enabler of healthcare, not an obstacle to operations. Its core business areas include digital health, providing federal IT solutions and services for healthcare, and business process solutions. This includes its role as a Medicare contractor for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Adopting a CX-focused approach to AI in public health services is crucial for improving healthcare delivery in today's digital world. By harnessing the power of AI and focusing on user needs, government health agencies can drive innovation, improve results, and build a healthcare system that puts the well-being and satisfaction of people front and center. This podcast will help you understand ways to leverage CX when building AI solutions and vise versa and the outcomes achieved by integrating the two.Rujuta WaknisREI Director of Solution EngineeringRujuta Waknis is the Director of Offerings at REI Systems, with over 20 years of experience creating technology products and innovative solutions in public sector domains such as grants management and acquisitions. She is an advocate for the improvement of systems through mindful technology transformation, human centered design, data driven-decision making and AI technology. She has successfully helped modernize numerous enterprise systems for federal agencies over her career. She holds a masters degree in systems engineering from Virginia Tech.Amanda ThomasREI Principal Customer ExperienceAmanda Thomas is a Principal Customer Experience Designer at REI Systems with over 10 years of experience in product design and media production. Specializing in modernizing and optimizing complex systems, she aims to leverage emerging technologies such as AI and machine learning to enhance product outcomes. With a focus on creating intuitive user experiences, Amanda's expertise lies in transforming the way users interact with digital products.REI SystemsREI Systems provides reliable, effective, and innovative technology solutions that advance federal, state, local, and nonprofit missions. Our technologists and consultants are passionate about solving complex challenges that impact millions of lives. We take a Mindful Modernization® approach in delivering our application modernization, grants management systems, government data analytics, AI/ML, and advisory services. Mindful Modernization is the REI Way of delivering mission impact by aligning our government customers' strategic objectives to measurable outcomes through people, processes, and technology. Learn more at REIsystems.com.  

Today we speak with CDC project manager from GDIT Christi Hildebrant on the challenges of taking public health to the future and what she sees as the best paths forward.Christi Hildebrandt, CDC Project Manager, GDIT In her 25 years within the IT consulting, Christi has served in a diverse set of roles across a range of industries. For more than 15 years, Christi worked within public health implementing IT projects and providing technical assistance for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state, tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) public health. She has experience with software development and product management and has a strong understanding of data, database design, and the use of standards in software development and system integration. She cares deeply about the mission of public health and constantly strives to design and implement public health IT and process solutions that will provide for the greater good. GDITGeneral Dynamics Information Technology delivers the art of the possible to support the most complex government projects. GDIT is on the front lines of health innovation, leading the way with the technology, health systems and science that drive better health. As one of the largest systems integrators for the federal government, our 30,000 employees in 30 countries worldwide provide technical expertise and mission-critical support to ensure today is safe and tomorrow is smarter. 

Today we discuss the data modernization journey with Scott Hutchison, Solutions Architect and David Holmes, PMP, SAFe Agilist, Teradata Certified Master, Vice President of Index Analytics.Scott Hutchison | Solutions Architect at Index AnalyticsScott Hutchison is an experienced Solutions Architect with a Master's in Data Analytics from Clarkson University Graduate School. An expert in Business Intelligence Application Development, Data Analytics, and Big Data, he manages all aspects of Business Intelligence development to meet clients' needs effectively. Mr. Hutchison has a demonstrated history of producing applications that help fight healthcare fraud and providing expert analytic support to criminal investigators in identifying and developing Medicare and Medicaid fraud cases, several with exposures totaling over $100 million. This experience in high-profile analytics has given him an appreciation for the importance of data governance that produces high-quality, well-modeled data that accurately reflects underlying real-world processes. As a highly skilled programmer, developer, and data scientist, Scott provides guidance on tool and model design, serves as an expert resource for solving complex analysis and coding issues, and employs Agile processes to ensure that he delivers the tools and features that provide the most value to his clients.David Holmes, PMP, SAFe Agilist, Teradata Certified Master | Vice President of Services at Index AnalyticsDavid Holmes is a highly accomplished PMP certified professional with 30 years of experience in leading and contributing to the success of technology programs. He is a Certified SAFe Agilist and a Teradata Certified Master, with extensive expertise in data warehousing, business intelligence, and data architecture. David is also a recognized expert in the field, with over 20 publications in journals and industry publications, as well as several patents to his name. He has contributed to the success of numerous pre-sales and proposal work for contracts at CMS, USPS, and DOJ, delivering over $1B in revenue, and has provided substantial delivery experience supporting programs for CMS, USPS, CIA, and DoD.Index Analytics is an award-winning 8(a) certified small business that specializes in providing enterprise solutions to federal government agencies. Since 2012, the company has been delivering high-quality data and application modernization and Salesforce CRM solutions that improve ROI. With expertise in data management and analytics, cloud-based solutions, Agile development, and operational support for highly visible programs across a diverse portfolio, Index brings together business and IT professionals to drive results and boost engagement for federal clients. Visit us at index-analytics.com. 

On today's Keeping IT Brief, ICF’s Vice President of Digital Transformation, Tahera Zamanzada, shares the importance of bringing an empathy-first approach to human-centered design, and how mission and IT leaders looking to undergo digital modernization can find success in this approach. Tahera will explain the role of “human-centered design” in product development and management, and how it applies in a government context.  Tahera Zamanzada, Vice President of Digital Transformation at ICF Tahera has 15 years of experience in helping organizations and federal agencies keep up with a rapidly evolving digital landscape and improve the digital customer experience through the adoption of cloud platforms. As a thought leader and digital advisor, Tahera consults on the challenges surrounding digital transformation, cloud adoption, and technology modernization. She has a passion for multi-cloud strategies, human-centered design, and data transformation.ICF ICF is a global advisory and digital services provider with approximately 8,000 full- and part-time employees. Not a typical consultancy, ICF business analysts and policy specialists work hand-in-hand with digital strategists, data scientists and creatives. ICF combines unmatched industry expertise with technology to help organizations solve their most complex challenges. Since 1969, public and private sector clients have worked with ICF to navigate change and shape the future.

Today we speak with Erick Peters, Chief Technology Officer, and Jackie Ackerman, Vice President, Data and Analytics, of Cognosante on how healthcare agencies and departments can make smarter decisions and deliver improved citizen services through data sharing that’s powered by automation, AI, and data & analytics insights.We deep dive into: How cloud, data, AI can remove boundaries between public health agencies and departments -- AND other agencies dependent on them How we lead with privacy and security, interoperability  How governance ensures data is reliable and accurate Erick Peters, Chief Technology Officer, Cognosante Erick Peters is a technology-focused leader with over 25 years of experience in enterprise solution development, solution architecture, and information technology security. Erick leads technology teams to solve customers’ most difficult challenges, leveraging strategy, innovation, partnerships, and emerging trends.  His leadership ensures Cognosante’s technology evolution results in innovative solution development across the organization’s service portfolio, which includes Healthcare Interoperability, Cloud, Cybersecurity, DevSecOps, Data Science, and Enterprise Architecture. The solutions the company develops help Federal and state organizations meet their missions to deliver critical customer programs built on a purposeful, tailored, and evolving foundation of proven and emerging technologies. A Navy Veteran and a graduate of Nuclear Power School, Erick earned a Bachelor of Nuclear Engineering Technology and a Master of Business Administration in Management Information Systems from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park. Jackie Ackerman, Vice President, Data and Analytics, CognosanteJackie Ackerman leads the Data and Analytics team at Cognosante, leveraging over 25 years of experience in military intelligence and civilian IT. With expertise in building and implementing modern cloud data solutions, she and her team transform data and drive interoperability for Federal and state government organizations. Her knowledge of data and analytics best practices, modern technologies, and proven intelligence techniques informs Cognosante’s innovative approach to delivering data as a product that solves complex problems.   The Data team’s culture and approach to innovation led them to win the Snowflake Challenge by leveraging third-party healthcare data to predict virus spread and guide pre-emptive vaccine distribution. Her team also participated in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Mission Daybreak Challenge with an analytics solution that identified at-risk Veterans prior to crisis and provides recommendations on best intervention timing and methods. Cognosante Passion. Purpose. Innovation. At Cognosante, we believe we can create a safer, healthier, more equitable nation for all. With an innovative mindset and unwavering dedication, we help healthcare, civilian and defense agencies deliver exceptional public services and programs. Our industry-leading technology and customer experience (CX) solutions bridge intentions and outcomes, solving critical challenges and creating meaningful change. Whether we are modernizing systems, enabling greater access to public benefits, or delivering mission-critical programs, we innovate with purpose, touching the lives of millions of people. For more information, visit cognosante.com.  

Customers have hit the inflection point on cloud adoption. What are the cloud implementation and optimization aspects that the customers need to be aware of to ensure that they get their return on their investment?  Today we dig into the topic with Raman Bhasker, Technical Director at Index Analytics and Narayana Vallapuneni, Sr. DevSecOps Architect at Index Analytics.Narayana Vallapuneni| Sr. DevSecOps ArchitectNarayana is a highly skilled Senior Solutions Architect at Index Analytics, specializing in Automation, Modernization, Process Improvement, and Cost savings. He has a proven track record of streamlining processes and reducing costs while delivering high-quality solutions that meet and exceed client expectations. He is passionate about security and takes great pride in ensuring that all solutions he designs and delivers are robust, scalable, and secure. He understands the importance of protecting sensitive data and proactively addresses potential vulnerabilities and risks. In addition, he enjoys spending time with his family and watching movies.Raman Bhasker | Technical DirectorRaman Bhasker is a seasoned technology leader with more than 17 years of diverse experience in the information technology industry serving the federal government and the commercial sectors. As a Technical Director at Index Analytics, Raman leads solution implementations, mentors teams, and drives technical maturity across Index's project portfolio. He has led technical solution delivery of several data modernization initiatives, including data strategy, cloud migration, enterprise application integration, and scalable and cost-effective IT systems across several business components within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Prior to federal government contracting, Raman led IT solution implementations in the commercial healthcare and insurance industries. Index Analytics is an award-winning 8(a) certified small business that specializes in providing enterprise solutions to federal government agencies. Since 2012, the company has been delivering high-quality data and application modernization and Salesforce CRM solutions that improve ROI. With expertise in data management and analytics, cloud-based solutions, Agile development, and operational support for highly visible programs across a diverse portfolio, Index brings together business and IT professionals to drive results and boost engagement for federal clients. Visit us at index-analytics.com. 

One of the many lessons learned during the pandemic was that the public, health care providers, and our government agencies were looking to IT systems and software applications to communicate, exchange data, and provide information needed to support decision-making. The increased need for information highlighted existing challenges impacting data sharing and data security.Today we speak with Srini Iyer the Health Group CTO of Leidos on how achieving greater speed and effective information delivery through an enriched data exchange framework will permit greatly enhanced data sharing across clinicians, labs, hospitals, pharmacies, patient, the public, and government agencies at all levels. When disparate systems can work in tandem to share patient data seamlessly across all networks, within and across organizational boundaries, the health ecosystem from providers to officials are able to advance the effective delivery of healthcare and make informed decision for individuals and communities. Srini Iyer serves as Chief Technology Officer for the Health Group at Leidos, where he is responsible for driving innovation and building new offerings to enhance the Health Group’s growing portfolio. Before joining Leidos, Srini served as Senior Vice President and Corporate Chief Technology Officer at ManTech International. He also served as Strategic Planning Manager for Northrop Grumman Technical Services. Iyer has a Master of Science degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He also holds an Executive Leadership Certificate from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia as well as a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Madras.Leidos is a Fortune 500® technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world’s toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets. The company’s 45,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $14.4 billion for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2022. For more information, visit www.leidos.com

Citizens often engage with health agencies during strenuous and pivotal moments in life. Today we speak with MaryAnn Monroe, VP of Total Experience at Maximus about how to provide the best experience. Agencies must be prepared to provide essential services and to quickly and securely obtain relevant data from various government partners at a moment’s notice.MaryAnn Monroe, Vice President of Total ExperienceMaryAnn Monroe is a customer experience leader with 25+ years of Federal and private sector experience. She is leading the integration of Maximus Federal’s customer experience strategy, focusing on the strategic alignment of customers’ needs and expectations to enhance government services and elevate customer experiences to achieve the highest levels of satisfaction, performance, and outcomes.Before joining Maximus, she served as Director of Customer Experience, Chief of Staff, and Director of USAGov Contact Center for Technology Transformation Service within the General Services Administration, Director of the Cancer Information Service for the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Director of Customer Success (Public Sector) for eGain Corporation and Director of Customer Experience for HighPoint Global.MaryAnn received the Service to the Citizen CX Trailblazer award in 2019 from Dorris Consulting International (DCI) and is an alumna of the 2016 Partnership for Public Service Excellence in Government Fellowship Program.MaximusAt Maximus, they believe extraordinary missions call for extraordinary results. They are a top systems integrator serving the federal government, and a leading provider of transformative technology services, digitally enabled customer experiences and clinical health. They deliver mission-driven innovation at speed and scale by designing operational and technical solutions that serve people. They operate with agility and impact, delivering high-performance outcomes and exceptional experiences, always. From technology infrastructure to program operations, our end-to-end solutions help agencies better meet their mission and the growing expectations of the people they serve.

This podcast is based on an event dated June 7, 2023. If you missed this event, be sure and check out our list of upcoming events on Forum.Today we are speaking to Susan Sharer, the CEO of Forum about the upcoming Innovation Awards taking place at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. This high-energy event includes a mix of keynote speakers, panel discussions, fireside chats, and rapid-fire talks featuring Federal Government leaders focused on agency priorities, challenges, and opportunities for growth.Register for the event here. 

Dr. Richard Stone, Retired Army Major General who served as the Deputy Surgeon General of the US Army discusses how we as a nation can provide better medical care to our veterans during the next medical crisis, he looks into this and more in his memoir, "Save Every Life You Can".Dr. Richard Stone, Retired Army Major General who served as the Deputy Surgeon General of the US Army, currently a Specialist Executive at DeloitteDr. Richard Stone has served in a myriad of leadership positions over his more than 40 years as a medical doctor. He is a combat experienced veteran, having served in Afghanistan during an Army career that culminated in his service as the US Army Deputy Surgeon General. Dr Stone was called back to Federal service as the Executive in Charge and Acting Under Secretary of the Veterans Health Administration, serving for more than three years as the leader of America’s largest health care system through the most challenging health crisis in more than one hundred years.Dr. Stone’s book "Save Every Life You Can: A Reflection on Leadership and Saving Lives during the COVID-19 Pandemic" is a reflection on leadership and saving lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. This memoir describes the extraordinary challenges the Department of Veterans Affairs faced and the personal stories of his team as they worked against the clock in a pandemic unique in more than 100 years. It also describes the principles of leadership that informed and guided Dr. Stone, and his thoughts on what we learned as a nation about health care delivery as we prepare for the next once-in-a-hundred-year crisis. 

Low code and no code development is growing in the Federal government, today we speak with   Sumesh Sundareswaran the Vice President for the Health and Human Services (HHS) Business Area at GDIT on his thoughts for the future of the technology.   Sumesh Sundareswaran is Vice President for the Health and Human Services (HHS) Business Area at GDIT. In this role, he supports the critical mission of HHS and the Social Security Administration (SSA).  He provides strategic thought leadership, employee engagement, execution, change management, business development, customer and technical oversight of the HHS portfolio. Sumesh is the recipient of the FedHealthIT 2022 and 2023 Awards. This award honors the top 100 individuals in federal Health IT, who make an impact, go above and beyond, drive innovation and positive outcomes, challenge conventional wisdom, and give back to the larger community.General Dynamics Information Technology delivers the art of the possible to support the most complex government projects. GDIT is on the frontlines of health innovation, leading the way with the technology, health systems and science that drive better health. As one of the largest systems integrators for the federal government, our 30,000 employees in 30 countries worldwide provide technical expertise and mission critical support to ensure today is safe and tomorrow is smarter. 

Today we discuss impacts on the future of Health IT with Melinda Pitchford, Managing Director Business Development and Capture for Eleven09/King Street Technology Partners. Melinda Pitchford – Managing Director Business Development and Capture for Eleven09/King Street Technology Partners Melinda Pitchford is a highly experienced professional with over 15 years of expertise in fostering strong client and B2B relationships, building top-tier teams, and ensuring a collaborative community effort towards helping Veterans. By leveraging her extensive market knowledge, as well as understanding her peers' offerings and clients' needs, Melinda's operationally-efficient teams consistently deliver high-quality, innovative, and sustainable solutions. Her outstanding work has been recognized by her peers and the industry, receiving the 2022 FedHealthIT Women's Impact Award and the 2023 FedHealthIT 100 Award. Driven by her commitment to community and caring, Melinda co-founded and co-hosts the VA T4NG Networking Event, a platform where like-minded individuals come together to exchange ideas, identify growth opportunities, and foster innovation. Many of us have had the privilege of attending this event and experiencing its positive impact. Eleven09Eleven09 is a full-service provider of information technology and cyber security solutions. With a vast network of resources and partners, our team is capable of providing secure and comprehensive solutions to address even the most complex needs of our customers. Our motivation stems from our unwavering commitment to improving the lives of our nation's veterans and their families, ensuring positive and measurable outcomes from the first day of service through their transition to the Department of Veterans Affairs and beyond. King Street Technology Partners, LLC (KSTP) is a CVE-verified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) that comprises Eleven09, LLC, and SBG Technology, a wholly-owned subsidiary of DSS, Inc. Working together, KSTP is dedicated to delivering excellence to our customers every day.

Today Susan Sharer speaks with Jennie Lucca, CEO, The Children’s Inn at NIH and Todd Pantezzi, Children’s Inn at NIH Evening for Hope Gala Committee Chair about this year’s event.  They discuss the unique public-private partnership with NIH, what’s new for this year’s Gala, and the Inn’s strategic plan, #INN2025, which has the following goals for the next few years: To work with researchers at the NIH to determine barriers to family and young adult participation in clinical research studies. And to work with the NIH and consultants to design steps to help break down those barriers. To interview our families to learn how The Inn can better serve them and implement those suggestions. To take the best in hospitality design and incorporate technology to create an innovative, state-of-the-art living environment at The Inn.   If you’d like to learn more or donate, check out the links below.Website:https://childrensinn.org/Bid:https://one.bidpal.net/hope2023/browse/all 

It has been over one year since President Biden signed an executive order with an ambitious goal to “place people at the center of everything government does”This executive order is promoting changes to social, financial and health services provided to Americans from government agencies when they experience the following events in life: Approaching retirement,Recovering from a disaster,Navigating the transition to civilian life following military service,Birth and early childhood for low-income women and their children; andFacing a financial shock and becoming newly eligible for critical supportThe framing of this work as supporting life experiences means that federal agencies will need to work together to understand and support their shared customers.We’re joined by Nelly Kinsella, Organizational Change Manager of Anthro-Tech, a human centered design consultancy that works for social impact to discuss the progress that agencies have made on the goal of the executive orderNelly Kinsella, Organizational Change Manager, Anthro-TechNelly is an experienced communications strategist with a knack for digital engagement. She has led or supported the launch and maintenance of nearly a dozen digital products, including informational and educational websites, intranets, and highly integrated web and mobile applications. She loves to untangle knots, learn on-the-fly and pull apart the components of complicated situations.Nelly holds Masters degrees in both Health Administration and Public Health Policy, as well as a graduate certificate in User-Centered Design (UCD) from the University of Washington. She is a scrum-certified product owner and practitioner of agile development.Fueling Nelly's role as Organizational Change Manager at Anthro-Tech is her passion for coaching teams in UCD tools and process. Specifically, she is motivated to get organizations with a social-impact mission to harness the power of user personas and relentlessly enhance the customer experience.Anthro-TechAnthro-Tech is a human-centered design consultancy focused on government agencies, nonprofits, and enterprises with a social impact mission. We help organizations gain a deep understanding of their customers through research to design products and services that are usable, useful, and make a positive impact on peoples’ everyday lives. Over the past 20 years, we’ve partnered with many organizations to transform how they engage their customers, including dozens of county, state, and federal government organizations, global foundations, and fortune 500 clients. Anthro-Tech was founded in 1997. We are a women-owned business with offices and user experience labs in Olympia and Seattle. We’re driven by our purpose - to build a great business that makes things better for people.

Every day in the United States, thousands of legitimate prescriptions for the opioid class of pharmaceuticals are written to mitigate acute pain during post-operation recovery, chronic back and neck pain, and a host of other cases where patients experience moderate-to-severe discomfort. While many of these drugs provide pain relief, the potential for misuse and outright abuse due to their addictive nature is extremely high.Since the 1990s, opioid abuse in the U.S. skyrocketed to the point that in 2017 the Department of Health and Human Services declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency. This epidemic affects more than just individuals – families and communities, as well as the U.S. healthcare system at the federal, state, and local level, carry this burden emotionally and financially.Solving this crisis can and should be supported by insights gained from the vast amounts of data available to healthcare providers and government agencies. The healthcare industry, in partnership with government agencies, must engage with a robust modern data management solution that can extract electronic health data in the form of controlled substance data, prescriber data, and patient data and transform it into meaningful, measurable, and actionable information.  Today we talk with Rob Carey, the President of Cloudera Government Solutions on this topic.Rob Carey, President of Cloudera Government SolutionsAs a highly recognized executive, Rob Carey leads the public sector team at Cloudera Government Solutions during a time in government when data-centric projects and digital transformation is of the utmost importance. As former U.S. Navy CIO and Deputy DOD CIO, Carey uses his 30+ years of federal experience to apply what’s needed to meet the standards for the future of IT modernization in government. He supports customers across the federal civilian and defense sector as they continue to navigate data-driven challenges and work to meet key White House directives.Cloudera Government SolutionsGovernment agencies are faced with a multitude of challenges, including aging legacy systems, fraud and abuse, and sophisticated cyberattacks. More than ever, they need a proven platform that can securely manage their data. Cloudera Government Solutions addresses these challenges by simplifying data acquisition and delivery – providing public sector leaders with the insights they need to make better and more timely decisions.Cloudera Government Solutions partners with federal, state and local, and higher education institutions to support data security and governance mandates, modernize data architectures across any platform, and meet the zero-trust mandate related to data flow. With customers across 40 global governments, Cloudera can accelerate data movement and digital transformation to accomplish your mission. 

In this episode, ICF’s Chief Technology Executive, Mark Lee, and Chief Technology Officer, Kyle Tuberson, discuss the current state of federal technology and digital modernization initiatives, and predictions on where efforts will evolve in the near future. To inform the discussion, Mark and Kyle share findings from a recent report published by ICF that uncovers common pain points throughout the modernization process, and how agencies can overcome them, tapping into trends such as upskilling, product management, the role of a Chief Data Officer, and the power of unified communication, among other key topics.Mark Lee Chief Technology Executive   As chief technology executive, Mark strengthens ICF’s technology solutions and drives the company’s overall technology strategy. His team works to increase ICF’s technology capabilities and enhance corporatewide technology procedures, systems, and partnerships to offer more value to clients and employees. Mark’s team focuses on helping leaders think differently about how to address significant and interconnected challenges impacting society today. They provide technology, digital solutions, and advanced data and analytics tools—backed by deep domain expertise—to help clients deliver practical programs that lead to positive outcomes. Mark previously served as the executive vice president of ICF’s public sector business and has been with ICF for nearly 30 years. He has held many leadership roles across the public sector business, including previously serving as the head of business development and the disaster management division. Prior to this, he led the climate, sustainability, environmental health, and surface transportation businesses and has extensive experience supporting a wide range of clients in addressing technology, regulatory, workforce development, and policy challenges. An industry leader, Mark was recognized by WashingtonExec as a Top Public Sector Leader to Watch in 2020 and 2021, and he received a 2022 Longevity Award for his career trajectory at ICF. Mark is also an executive committee member for the Professional Services Council. Mark holds a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.   Kyle Tuberson  Chief Technology Officer  Kyle Tuberson is ICF’s chief technology officer. He has over 20 years of technology consulting experience in the areas of data visualization, geospatial analytics, data management, and data science. In his role, Kyle builds teams that use data to create innovative solutions to difficult business challenges. This includes helping clients evolve their cultures toward embracing digital adoption, better leverage data and scale enterprise technology for greater impact, enable faster development cycles, accelerate innovation through repeatable frameworks, and more. Kyle’s team leads initiatives that focus on providing IT modernization services to the government and to industries such as healthcare and energy. These services include IT modernization, cloud computing, machine learning, internet of things (IoT), geospatial analytics, data visualization, and more. By applying data science and data visualization techniques to drive impact, they have helped ICF’s clients reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve access to healthcare in emerging markets, and prevent fraud with government programs. Kyle was recognized by WashingtonExec as a Top Chief Technology Exec to Watch in 2023. He is also a 2018 Federal 100 award winner. Kyle holds a master’s in technology management from George Mason University and a bachelor’s in management information systems from George Mason University. He was also awarded the CIO University Certificate in Federal Executive Competencies by the Federa

This podcast is based on an event dated April 12, 2023. If you missed this event, be sure and check out our list of upcoming events on Forum. Today we are speaking to Susan Sharer, the CEO at Forum about the upcoming Disruptive Tech Summit taking place at (location).  It will be an opportunity to hear from the Federal IT innovators and game changers who are positively transforming how Government fulfills its missions.Register for the event here. 

Today we discuss the importance of, impact of and future of Internet Protocol version 6 with Ralph Wallace of Aptive Resources.Ralph WallaceAs program director and IPv6 lead at Aptive Resources, Ralph Wallace leads a 40-person team through the IPv6 transition under the OMB memo M-21-07 for a cabinet-level agency. The memo requires the federal government to complete the transition to IPv6. Ralph is internationally recognized as an IPv6 subject matter expert. The IPv6 Forum designated him an IPv6 Deployment World Leader, and he has been inducted into the international IPv6 Hall of Fame. Ralph contributed significantly to the latest federal government directive to move all federal agencies to IPv6-only enterprises by 2025. Over the past 13 years, he has led various federal cross-organizational teams in their respective enterprise transition to IPv6, including every aspect of the transition from technical to logistical and programmatic. Ralph has more than 40 years of technology experience in executive and systems engineering leadership; engineering, portfolio, program and project management; and capture management.Aptive ResourcesLed by CEO Rachele Cooper, a Navy Veteran and aerospace engineer, Aptive is a trusted partner and consulting services provider for organizations seeking to accomplish strategic transformations, improve performance and leverage modern technology. Aptive is an ISO 9001:2015 and CMMI L3 certified business and has supported the federal government for more than a decade across a range of high-profile programs.

 Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, federal health agencies are now evaluating what their shortcomings were and how they can improve. Key issues that have come to the forefront include future-proofing the workforce, combating misinformation, and maximizing data utilization. In this episode, ICF SVP of Federal Health John Auerbach shares the biggest priorities for federal health agencies in improving health outcomes and preparing better for future pandemics.  John AuerbachSenior Vice President, Federal HealthJohn is ICF’s primary federal health expert and thought leader within the company’s public sector business. Amid tremendous global health and social challenges, ICF’s capabilities and solutions for federal health agencies have never been more relevant. John’s thought leadership advances ICF’s combination of proven domain and scientific expertise with leading-edge analytics and technology solutions to drive improved health outcomes for clients.John came to ICF from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where he most recently served as the director of intergovernmental and strategic affairs. In this role, he was the lead strategic advisor on CDC engagement with government agencies at the federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial levels, as well as public health and other external partners. He also had oversight of CDC’s health equity workgroup and served as the chief equity officer for CDC’s COVID-19 response.John brings additional leadership experience in the nonprofit sector and state government. He is the former president and CEO of Trust for America’s Health, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to promoting sound public health policy and making disease prevention a national priority through research, reports, and communications campaigns. He is also the former public health commissioner for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health where he developed innovative programs to promote health equity, combat chronic and infectious disease, and supported the successful implementation of the state’s health care reform initiative.An established industry leader and recipient of the American Public Health Association’s Excellence in Public Health Award, John is the co-author of many publications on topics covering social determinants of health, mental health, substance misuse, the health and wellbeing of older adults, and more. He serves on the National Academies of Sciences, EngineerICFICF is a global advisory and digital services provider with approximately 8,000 full- and part-time employees. Not a typical consultancy, ICF business analysts and policy specialists work hand-in-hand with digital strategists, data scientists and creatives. ICF combines unmatched industry expertise with technology to help organizations solve their most complex challenges. Since 1969, public and private sector clients have worked with ICF to navigate change and shape the future. 

In an increasingly fast-paced and complex digital world, the ability of different information technology systems and software applications to communicate, exchange data, and use that information is becoming increasingly more vital. Achieving a greater speed and efficiency through an enriched data exchange framework will permit greatly enhanced data sharing across clinicians, labs, hospitals, pharmacies, and patients regardless of the application or application vendor.When disparate systems can work in tandem to share patient data seamlessly across all networks, within and across organizational boundaries, providers are able to advance the effective delivery of healthcare for individuals and communities. In essence, any healthcare professional from anywhere in the world can access a patient’s records and provide treatment and care without delay.Masood Ahmed, Chief Technology Officer, Civilian Health Solutions, LeidosMasood Ahmed serves as Chief Technology Officer for Civilian Health Solutions at Leidos, where he leads development of innovative technical solutions for customers including NIH, FDA, CDC, CMS, SSA and NCI in support of growth and operations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering telecommunications from the University of Wollongong, Australia; a master’s degree in engineering management from the University of Technology Sydney, Australia; and a master’s degree in executive leadership from Harvard. https://www.linkedin.com/in/masood-ahmed-9076504/LeidosLeidos is a Fortune 500® technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world’s toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets. The company’s 44,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $13.7 billion for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. For more information, visit www.leidos.com.  

Taking a look at the importance of inclusive teams when looking at tech in the fedhealth tech space with the Director of Product at CivicActions. Liz Tupper, Director of ProductCivic ActionsLiz Tupper is a strategic technology leader with over 20 years of experience working in the civic tech, social good, AI (artificial intelligence), IoT (internet of things), web, mobile application, and video game industries. She leads the Product team at CivicActions and works to co-create experiences that make an impact alongside our clients, the people they serve, and our project teams. She is passionate about removing barriers and making technology accessible to people of all backgrounds and abilities. Well-intended software can be oppressive, and Liz is working to change that.Civic ActionsAbout CivicActions: Founded in 2004, CivicActions is a digital services company that helps the government deliver better public services through open technology and design. With expertise in digital accessibility, free and open source software, and human-centered design, CivicActions is committed to use technology to help build a world that works for all. 

Susan Sharer talks to Joe Salgado, a successful capture manager with Red Team Consulting, on T4NG as well as the subsequent on-ramp about the recently released T4G2 Draft RFP to provide his thoughts on the differences in approach and substance of the two procurements and what that might mean for offerors and Veterans Affairs. Link to the 2nd draft:  https://sam.gov/opp/ec26c57e247540e99fe559c21d2a3358/view  Joe Salgado, General Manager, IDIQ & GWACsJoe Salgado is a professionally trained capture and proposal professional with over 20 years of federal contracting experience. With his diverse background, Joe has successfully run large technical sales and engineering organizations as well as complex capture efforts and large multi-billion-dollar proposal engagements. He has managed annual sales of over $300M and captured over $30B in federal contracts.Red Team ConsultingRed Team Consulting, LLC (Red Team) is a strategic growth consultancy that helps companies scale in the government contracting market. Over our 18+ years, we’ve helped thousands of companies achieve their growth targets with our full lifecycle business development, capture, proposal development, pricing, and training services. With our support, our clients continue to beat their largest competitors, diversify their portfolio of customers, and achieve their financial goals. 

Today Susan Sharer, the CEO of FedHealthIT, took Keeping IT Brief on the road and met with Brandon Utt, the Vice President of Growth from MKS2 to discuss the T4NG2 contract the morning after the T4NG Happy Hour, where industry came out in huge numbers to discuss this exciting opportunity.Brandon Utt, Vice President of GrowthBrandon has been part of the MKS2 team since December 2019 and has been responsible for driving the company's overall growth objectives for all target customer markets, as well as acting in the capacity of VA Capture Manager. Prior to joining industry in 2016, Brandon was a contracting professional at the VA Technology Acquisition Center, working primarily on the original T4 program, and before that, in the same capacity at the CECOM Acquisition Center, Ft. Monmouth, supporting the Army and Department of Defense. MKS2MKS2 is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business headquartered in Austin Texas. Led by Founder and CEO, Brendan Mullen, MKS2 is an IT service provider performing Cyber Security, Software Development, Cloud Modernization, Infrastructure Support, and Instructional Design in support of our Federal Government customers in the Department of Veterans Affairs, Defense Health Agency, Army, Navy, and SOCOM. https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-utt-9a350ba8 

Compliance requirements and siloed communication have resulted in major interoperability and scalability challenges for government agencies, and these issues have persisted during IT modernization initiatives.In the wake of the pandemic, abrupt changes were made to digitize necessary resources, but as the federal health landscape looks forward it is imperative that any modernization solution implemented is based on scalable infrastructure. Furthermore, systems and applications should be designed to work together seamlessly in order to drive innovation and efficiency.Judy JiaoMs. Jiao serves as the National Government Services Chief Information Officer. Judy is leading the NGS organization through a digital transformation based on Human Centered Design, which is in alignment with the government’s path to modernization. With over 20 years of experience in health care industry, she leads a talented and innovative team of software engineering, security, data analytics, IT infrastructure and services, and agile project management to deliver and expand NGS business. Driven by her passion to help people improve their health conditions, she takes pride in providing the best business technology solutions possible to advance the effectiveness and quality of health care.National Government Services (NGS)For more than 50 years, National Government Services has been empowering federal healthcare agencies to improve lives and communities. Its core business areas include digital health, providing federal IT solutions and services for healthcare, and business process Solutions. This includes its role as a Medicare contractor for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Part of the Anthem family of businesses, NGS is headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, and employs more than 1,500 associates across the country.

Where the Health Community Should Start Research from KFF estimates that disparities in healthcare amount to approximately $93 billion in excess medical care costs and $42 billion in lost productivity per year, in addition to economic losses due to premature deaths. Health outcomes are not just centralized to local communities, but rather, have a lasting effect on improving the nation’s overall health and economic prosperity. Without healthy citizens, fewer people are available to work, and costs in hospitals rise due to more frequent ER visits.Kamala GreenIn her current position as the Social Drivers of Health Program Manager at National Government Services, Kamala assists with strategic design, implementation and evaluation of social drivers of health initiatives, where she partners to recommend initiatives related to unmet social needs, such as food, housing, legal support and income. Since joining NGS in November 2021, Kamala is instrumental in level setting and shaping the agenda for health equity and the social drivers of health (SDOH), specifically for Medicare.National Government ServicesFor more than 50 years, National Government Services (NGS) has been empowering federal healthcare agencies to improve lives and communities. Its core business areas include digital health, providing federal IT solutions and services for healthcare, and business process Solutions. This includes its role as a Medicare contractor for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Part of the Anthem family of businesses, NGS is headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, and employs more than 1,500 associates across the country. 

Today we speak with Brooke Pierce, Vice President, CMS Division Manager, with Leidos on how Servant Leadership can draw the most out of your team in a positive way.  This non-traditional style of leadership entails a set of behaviors and practices that places the primary emphasis on the well-being of the entire team. Brooke Pierce, Vice President, CMS Division Manager, with LeidosBrooke Pierce (Patterson) is the VP and Division Manager for the CMS Division within Leidos’ Health Group, a $250m annual, 587-person division.  This division supports the Nation’s largest healthcare payer’s information technology and innovation objectives through mission critical hosting, technology insertion, data analytics, end-user support, and modernization.  Previously, Pierce served as Sr. Program Manager for the Infrastructure Hosting & Centralized Connectivity Services contract for CMS.  Prior to that role, she was the Senior Program Execution Consultant where she was responsible for engaging with and restoring troubled programs. Pierce was also responsible for creating and implementing the Independent Program Assessment initiative. Before joining Leidos, Pierce served as VP of Government Solutions for Cotiviti; SVP of Government Services for ARDX; Director of CMS at FEi; and a number of other contractors in varying roles focusing solely on Healthcare IT.  Pierce graduated from Notre Dame of Maryland University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, with an emphasis in information technology, and from the same university with a master’s degree in teaching with an emphasis in technology.  Pierce has been nominated for the women’s leadership cohort at Northrop Grumman, the Executive Mentoring Program at Leidos, and was a recipient of the FedHealthIT100 award.https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrookepierce/Leidos As a leading provider of healthcare solutions for federal agencies and select non-federal customers across the healthcare ecosystem, we deliver secure, holistic health solutions, across ever-changing sites of care, to improve patient outcomes and system efficiencies. We use our expertise in digital modernization, data analytics, life sciences, care enablement and human performance to address our customers' most important challenges. 

The VA’s EHR rollout aimed to modernize the systems that give veterans access to essential healthcare services, but it has posed numerous modernization challenges that echoed poor citizen experiences being felt across the public sector.With public health crises like COVID-19, the importance of modernizing IT infrastructure to adapt to healthcare challenges and meet citizens’ needs is paramount for federal agencies. Agencies must work towards modernization but are faced with many logistical issues that make rapid implementation infrastructure difficult.iTech AG provides the government with cutting-edge technology solutions to help agencies modernize systems to fit their needs, enable health care organizations to truly serve citizens, and optimize results and predictions. Frank AntezanaFrank Antezana is the CEO and co-founder of iTech AG, providing executive leadership and ensuring the firm’s vision and mission are integrated into all iTech AG’s initiatives. In this role, Frank leverages over 20 years of IT consulting experience in both the federal and commercial/private marketplaces. Throughout his career, Frank has built multiple startup companies in a variety of industries, including textiles, telecom, contact centers, and software development. In addition to his entrepreneurial activities, he has been in executive roles at a number of Fortune 500 Firms. Frank received a Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Business Scaling from Stanford Graduate School of Business. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis on finance and marketing from Universidad Privada Boliviana (UPB). iTech AGFounded in 2008, iTech AG is a technology consulting firm that helps federal, state, local, and private organizations streamline their operations to achieve better, faster, and more predictable results. Using a wide range of innovative solutions, the company modernizes customers’ systems and processes to help them unlock their true potential. iTech AG is the only 8(a) disadvantaged small business that is a ServiceNow Elite Partner, and were recently awarded 8(a) STARS III, a Government Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) vehicle with a $50 billion ceiling. 

No matter what agency or industry, the CX approach leverages the true nature of HCD, allowing for the development of innovative strategies that make life better for people across the country. A customer-focused approach also delivers effective policies, programs and services to support each citizen’s needs, with a primary approach of citizen discovery, engagement and delivery.Rita Breen In her current position as the Agile and Human Centered Design Practices Director at National Government Services, Rita’s primary goal is to solve mission-critical challenges for federal patients and customers. She has nearly two decades of project management (PM) experience and has been a part of the NGS team since 2018. Rita mainly supports the technical PMs and HCD teams that drive the customer-centered approach to FedHealth IT. She and the team focus on solving major pain points while bolstering product quality and improving customer experiences across the board. Rita is truly passionate about identifying the key needs of citizens, setting actionable metrics and learning to meet them with empathy and understanding.National Government Services For more than 50 years, National Government Services (NGS) has been empowering federal healthcare agencies to improve lives and communities. Its core business areas include digital health, providing federal IT solutions and services for healthcare, and business process Solutions. This includes its role as a Medicare contractor for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Part of the Anthem family of businesses, NGS is headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, and employs more than 1,500 associates across the country. 

Today we revisit the 2022 FedHealthIT 100 Lifetime Achievement Award winner speech from Claude Hines, the Chief Operating Officer at MicroHealth.  Being introduced by the company's Chief Executive Officer, Frank Tucker.

The VA has embarked on its Mission Daybreak, a $20 million grand challenge to reduce Veteran suicides.A participant in Mission Daybreak, DSS, Inc. submitted a solution that has advanced to phase two of the challenge. It is a multidimensional approach to detect suicidal ideation in real-time using Machine Learning (ML) techniques that improves Veteran distress prediction accuracy.Michele Burst, Director Strategic Innovations, Analytics at DSS, Inc.Michele Burst is a seasoned HIT leader who drives key innovation development for DSS, Inc. in the federal and commercial health arenas.An expert on new Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) strategies for healthcare, she recently completed the Harvard Business Analytics Program (HBAP), which focuses on driving disruptive innovations using data driven analytics, emerging technologies, and AI based business strategies and operating models.Document Storage Systems, Inc. (DSS) DSS Inc. is a catalyst for health care innovation, keeping pace with evolving technologies as a solutions provider, systems integrator, and services contractor to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).With over 30 years of experience, the company provides services and solutions used daily by thousands of clinicians and administrative staff nationwide, to reduce costs, streamline workflows and improve patient care.DSS, Inc. also helps elevate patient safety and care quality for Veterans by deploying innovative, interoperable health care solutions that keep Veterans at the center of highly reliable care. To learn more, visit DSSInc.com. 

Modern Warrior LIVE is a uniquely immersive narrative and music experience that chronicles the transition from combat to civilian life. The production was originally created as a live performance, and we have delivered over 125 shows reaching more than 10,000 veterans and 20,000 civilians, and connected more than 4,000 veterans to local veterans and mental health service organizations since its inception. In addition to resuming live performances post-pandemic, our completed film adaptation serves as a way to reach and impact more communities around the country.  Today we speak to the production’s co-creator, combat veteran Jaymes Poling. Jaymes PolingJaymes enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 17. He was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, North Carolina as an infantryman. After serving three tours in Afghanistan, he was left with memories of war, the loss of friends, and the isolation a combat veteran finds when leaving the military.Through education, writing, and public speaking, and now with the added layer of music, Jaymes came to recognize the universality of his journey which has evolved into a mission to bring to other veterans. 

With public health crises like COVID-19, the importance of modernizing IT infrastructure to adapt to healthcare challenges is paramount for federal agencies. As agencies like CMS are working towards modernization, they are faced with many logistical issues that make rapid implementation infrastructure difficult. GitLab Public Sector teamed up with RVCM to support CMS’ batCAVE initiative enabling the agency to develop and deploy software changes at a fast, scalable and efficient rate, all while balancing security and resiliency.  By leveraging GitLab’s complete DevOps platform, CMS has:   ·     Increased transparency between partners and customers  ·     Allowed office environments to focus on business and mission issues  ·     Improved mission delivery and the development of more effective features  Today we hear from members of the team bringing this vision to life. Bob Stevens, Vice President of Public Sector Bob Stevens is the Vice President of Public Sector at GitLab Inc. GitLab’s single application, DevOps platform helps organizations deliver software faster and more efficiently while strengthening their security and compliance. Since 2021, Bob has led the public sector team by helping agencies fundamentally change the way their development, security, and operations teams collaborate. In his 25 years, he has built rapport and trust with government agencies and industry leaders. Prior to GitLab, he was VP of the Americas at Lookout Federal Inc., where he focused on providing mobile threat visibility and protection to enterprise and government entities. He continues to serve as a board member of Lookout. GitLab As The One DevOps Platform, GitLab provides one interface, one data store, one permissions model, one value stream, one set of reports, one spot to secure your code, one location to deploy to any cloud, and one place for everyone to contribute. The platform is the only true cloud-agnostic end-to-end DevOps platform that brings together all DevOps capabilities in one place. With GitLab, organizations can create, deliver, and manage code quickly and continuously to translate business vision into reality. GitLab empowers customers and users to innovate faster, scale more easily, and serve and retain customers more effectively. Built on Open Source, GitLab works alongside its growing community, which is composed of thousands of developers and millions of users, to continuously deliver new DevOps innovations.   Brett Kimura, President at RVCM (RevaComm) Brett Kimura has over fifteen years of experience in human-centered design, Agile software, and DevSecOps. He has served RVCM (RevaComm) as a web developer, IT manager and engineer, VP of operations, and is currently president of the organization, a position he has held since 2020. Brett is always looking to help organizations across the United States grow by providing business process and modernization solutions across many distinct industries.  RevaComm RVCM (RevaComm) is a leading digital transformation organization offering human-centered Design, Agile software development, DevSecOps, cybersecurity, cloud platform-as-a-service (PaaS), and application modernization services. For over 30 years, we’ve helped organizations become industry leaders using fresh experiences, uncompromising customer care, and cutting-edge technology. Learn more by visiting RVCM.com.  

The amount of available healthcare data is increasing exponentially. When managed correctly, this data is not only valuable for individual patient care, but can be utilized to address large scale health trends or care deficits. Today we speak with Karen Chan from National Government Solutions on how bridging gaps in care is possible with the right technology, data, and strategic approach. Healthcare organizations are now leveraging data analytics to identify and minimize gaps in care. National Government Services leads an initiative to combine available federal data and emerging technologies to determine and address care deficits. Karen ChanMs. Chan is responsible for National Government Services’ business and financial solution contracts. With over 20 years of healthcare industry experience, Ms. Chan is leading a diverse team of program management, solutions, and communications personnel to expand National Government Services’ Business Process Solutions footprint in both current and emerging markets. Under her leadership in 2021, National Government Services was awarded the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program Management Office contract positioning National Government Services as one of a few organizations selected to support the Health Equity mission of the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness. A longtime advocate for the underserved, Ms. Chan leads an initiative within National Government Services to combine available federal data and emerging technologies to identify and address care deficits in the Northeast. National Government ServicesFor more than 50 years, National Government Services has been empowering federal healthcare agencies to improve lives and communities. Its core business areas include digital health, providing federal IT solutions and services for healthcare, and business process Solutions. This includes its role as a Medicare contractor for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Part of the Elevance Health family of businesses, National Government Services is headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, and employs more than 1,500 associates across the country. 

When military patients live far from their health clinic or hospital, or they find traveling for in-person treatment difficult, obtaining quality care when and how they need it can be challenging. Military Health System (MHS) Video Connect (MHS VC) is a secure, live, web-based solution providing accessible care to active-duty service members, Veterans, and their family members. In 2021, the Leidos Partnership for Defense Health deployed MHS VC to CONUS locations in just eight months, providing critical capability during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. As of July 2022, MHS VC is deployed to all Military Treatment Facilities worldwide and has over 115,000 provisioned users. The MHS VC telehealth system is helping achieve Defense Health Agency’s combat readiness mission, providing an efficient and effective solution for healthcare delivery whenever and wherever needed.On today’s episode we talk with Joshua Lordemann with Leidos about how MHS VC is advancing efforts in telehealth. Joshua Lordemann, Chief Engineer for Virtual Health on DHMSM and Leidos Master Solution ArchitectMr. Lordemann is the Chief Engineer for Virtual Health on DHMSM and a Leidos Master Solution Architect. He is passionate about building and leading teams for digital modernization activities to deliver advanced solutions, products, and services. His experience in DevSecOps, agile, cybersecurity, and ITIL provide focused leadership of teams delivering scalable and secure analytical solutions. He leads R&D, enterprise architecture, and strategic technical portfolio activities at Leidos and on contract for the Department of Defense, Defense Health Agency, Veterans Affairs, Department of Justice, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Department of Energy, and other Federal organizations.LeidosLeidos is a Fortune 500® technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world’s toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets. The company’s 43,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Va., Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $13.7 billion for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. For more information, visit http://www.Leidos.com.  

Today we have a team from Accenture Federal Services discussing the use of AI on health care – the opportunities for improved outcomes, the need for responsible approaches in data collection and AI application, and how we can improve the adoption and experience among medical professionals and patients.Dr. Ron Moody, Chief Medical OfficerDr. Moody is the Chief Medical Officer at Accenture Federal Services. He’s a retired Army Colonel who served for over two decades. As Chief Medical Officer for Accenture Federal Services, he is committed to delivering accessible, exceptional health care to military service members, their families, and those that serve them. His portfolio includes work with the Defense Health Agency, Veterans Administration, and other federal agencies, using best practices from across all industries to achieve outcomes that leverage data and pragmatic innovation. Dr. Kenyon Crowley, Health Analytics LeadKenyon Crowley, PhD, is the Health Analytics Lead for Accenture Federal Services. Dr. Crowley brings nearly twenty years of health information technology expertise to his role. In his role at Accenture Federal Services, Dr. Crowley helps to accelerate the responsible and ethical use of AI and other advanced analytics tools across the federal health sector to help improve the well-being of all people in the country. Prior to joining AFS, Dr. Crowley served as Managing Director of the Center for Health Information & Decision Systems (CHIDS) at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, where he managed the development of digital technology and advanced analytics healthcare solutions. Dr. Crowley is also a faculty member in the university’s Decision, Operations, and Information Technologies department. Accenture Federal ServicesAccenture Federal Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Accenture, brings together mission expertise with proven innovation and leading practices to help the federal government do the extraordinary things it takes to create a better future for all of us.  We are passionate about partnering with clients, going beyond the bold future we collectively imagine, to create real and enduring change for our country and our communities.  We deliver new value and advantage that lasts, drawing on the full power of our partners and Accenture. Learn more at http://www.accenturefederal.com 

Today we are focusing on a woman making an impact in the FedHealth IT space with a conversation with Arveen Kohli the founder, president and CEO of 11th Dimension Services.  Arveen Kohli, Founder, President and CEOFounder and CEO, Arveen Kohli, is a zealous small business entrepreneur who comes from humble minority roots. Her fervor to serve the U.S. Federal, State, City, County Governments is aided by her yearning to pay forward as an immigrant, and a woman of color.https://www.linkedin.com/in/arveen-kohli-2b87b17/ 11th Dimension Services11th Dimension Services is an agnostic strategy and consulting services firm run by a zealous small business entrepreneur who comes from humble minority roots. Her fervor to serve the U.S. Federal, State, City, County Governments is aided by her yearning to pay forward as an immigrant, and a woman of color.The company has a mission first, and the customer first approach, which is second to none. It drives organizational enthusiasm and dedication for bringing only the BEST. https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleventh-dimension-services-8405b8244/ 

Federal IT modernization is the ideal way for organizations to accelerate mission outcomes. Though successful modernization can be easier said than done, a few key steps such as retaining agile talent and prioritizing CX and UX needs can ensure that organizations effectively bolster their modernization efforts.Today we speak with Jane Hite-Syed, Vice President, COO, National Government Services on how IT modernization has the potential to significantly improve the federal healthcare space, but agencies must be willing to adapt to shifting expectations, keep data systems secure, and use investments for retaining and developing talent. Jane Hite-Syed, Vice President, COO, National Government ServicesMs. Hite-Syed serves as the National Government Services Chief Operating Officer. As a strategic business executive who has served in the health care industry for over 30 years, Jane possesses a deep knowledge of federal health agencies with a keen focus on digital health and information technology. Prior to her current position, Jane led the NGS Information Technology organization through a digital transformation to align with the government’s path to modernization. Jane enjoys diverse expertise in strategic business planning, account leadership, enterprise IT and change execution. Jane has a proven record of success in managing change in large organizations and prides herself in starting everything at the most human level. Her leadership style and interpersonal skills are reflected in the culture and results of the organization. Jane was recently featured on the FedHealthIT 100 list in 2022 and received the Leading for Impact: Women in Leadership Award in 2019.National Government ServicesFor more than 50 years, National Government Services has been empowering federal healthcare agencies to improve lives and communities. Its core business areas include digital health, providing federal IT solutions and services for healthcare, and business process Solutions. This includes its role as a Medicare contractor for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.  

Taking a look at how federal healthcare can benefit from digital workflows with Mobeen Vaid, Advisory Solutions Consultant from ServiceNow.Mobeen Vaid, Advisory Solutions Consultant, ServiceNowMobeen Vaid is an Advisory Solutions Consultant at ServiceNow as part of the company’s Federal Healthcare team.  He has over 15 years in federal healthcare, nearly ten of which focused on federal cyber initiatives and programs. In his current role, Mobeen works closely with different Operating Divisions at Health and Human Services (HHS), helping them achieve IT transformation goals and align ServiceNow solutions with the aims of the mission.ServiceNowServiceNow is an American software company based in Santa Clara, California, that develops a cloud computing platform to help companies manage digital workflows for enterprise operations.  

 On today’s Keeping IT Brief, Jurgen Kanagalingam the Senior Solutions Consultant at ServiceNow discusses how technology can help agencies provide improved patient outcomes in healthcare operations.Jurgen Kanagalingam, Senior Solutions Consultant, ServiceNow  Jurgen Kanagalingam is a Senior Solutions Consultant at ServiceNow supports modernization efforts at Veterans Affairs.  He has over 15 years of experience working with federal agencies, much of that time working with program leadership helping to identify and evaluate technologies that can help them execute their mission more effectively.  Throughout his career, Jurgen has had the privilege to work with active-duty service members, senior military leadership, Ambassadors, health care professionals and small business owners living his passion for proactive problem-solving.   ServiceNowServiceNow is an American software company based in Santa Clara, California, that develops a cloud computing platform to help companies manage digital workflows for enterprise operations.  

Review of the real-world challenges encountered in clinical research as it becomes both more digital/virtual and involves more diverse teams - particularly problems and opportunities related to collaboration, security, and data interoperability.Today we speak to Edward O’Connor of ManTech on his insights.Edward F. O’ConnorSubject Matter Expert – ManTech HealthEdward has over 20 years’ experience as a software developer, enterprise architect, and technology executive – and currently serves as a subject matter expert in ManTech International’s health division. He is focused on artificial intelligence technologies, systems engineering, and approaches that bring together clinical, design, engineering, and operational resources to solve multi-disciplinary problems.Mr. O’Connor served as the Chief Information Officer and lead architect for the ambitious and successful integrated delivery system effort in Austin Texas to bring together primary care clinics, multiple hospitals systems, a startup non-profit health-plan, dozens of community service providers, and the Dell Medical School. Edward currently provides his expertise as an architect and advisor for projects with Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and the VA – while he juggles dissertation research at Colorado State University.ManTech International Corporation Bio (Focused on the Health practice):In business for over 50 years, ManTech provides technology solutions and services for every branch of the federal government, including Intelligence, Federal Civilian and Defense agencies. ManTech is focused on the toughest homeland and national security challenges – with mission-driven teams across service areas including cyber, enterprise IT, application development, and artificial intelligence.ManTech currently supports Health customers at the Military Health System, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and many other agencies concerned with both operational healthcare, public health, and clinical research. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advanced Molecular Detection (AMD) program is modernizing the nation’s public health system’s disease-investigation capabilities by integrating traditional epidemiology with next-generation genomic sequencing (NGS) and bioinformatics to look at pathogens in new ways. Innovations developed through AMD yield insights into disease-causing microbes and how to stop them; identify known and emerging infectious pathogens; find disease outbreaks faster; understand, monitor, and control antimicrobial resistance; and develop and target measures to protect people’s health.Leidos’ scientists and technical experts received a 2022 Innovation Award from FedHealthIT for their work supporting the AMD program in providing scientific computing and bioinformatics support services to CDC scientists. Today we speak with Dr. Vinayaka Kotraiah and Hunter Seabolt to learn more.Dr. Vinayaka KotraiahProgram Manager, Scientific Computing and Bioinformatics Services for CDC's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic DiseasesDr. Kotraiah has 15 years of relevant experience in project management and vaccine and drug discovery research. He has supported projects totaling more than $15M from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as Principal Investigator and Project Manager. He has also been a discovery scientist in the Biotech sector and has led target discovery and validation efforts in the context of multi-year Biotech-Pharma collaborations in the areas of neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. He has one awarded patent, four pending patent applications, and 14 publications. He has licensed out two inventions as an awarded solver through Innocentive Inc.’s crowdsourcing platform. He is currently the Program Manager for the $13M Scientific Computing and Bioinformatics Services contract from CDC's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases (NCEZID).Hunter Seabolt Bioinformatics Team Lead Hunter Seabolt has 9 years of relevant experience in bioinformatics and molecular biology research. His work has primarily focused on untangling the genomes of pathogenic microbes and parasitic organisms dating back to his early graduate school days through the present day. His development efforts include extensive benchside R&D to develop novel techniques to facilitate whole-genome sequencing of microbial genomes, the design and implementation of new analytical methods for genomic data, and contributions to open-source scientific computing initiatives like Nextflow's nf-core. He has published eight research articles to date and is currently the lead Bioinformatics Scientist for the Scientific Computing and Bioinformatics Services contract from CDC's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases (NCEZID).LeidosLeidos is a Fortune 500® technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world’s toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets. The company’s 43,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Va., Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $13.7 billion for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. For more information, visit http://www.Leidos.com. 

This podcast is based on an event dated August 16, 2022.  If you miss this event, be sure and check out our list of upcoming events on FedHealthIT.Today we are speaking to Susan Sharer, the CEO of FedHealthIT about the upcoming Women in Leadership Luncheon taking place during DHITS in Florida.Link to register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/attending-dhits-leading-for-impact-women-in-leadership-luncheon-on-816-tickets-356965161407 

Eight in ten physicians believe the United States cannot improve health outcomes or reduce health care costs without addressing social factors that affect patient health. Social Determinants of Health/Social Drivers of Health (SDOH) include socioeconomic status, education, neighborhood/social and physical environment, nutrition and food security, health care access and more.  Today Kamala Green of NGS takes a look at when a patient faces various challenges across these sectors, it truly inhibits their ability to seek professional medical help and primary health care.About Kamala GreenIn her current position as the Social Drivers of Health Program Manager at National Government Services, Kamala assists with strategic design, implementation and evaluation of social drivers of health initiatives, where she partners to recommend initiatives related to unmet social needs, such as food, housing, legal support and income. Since joining NGS in November 2021, Kamala is instrumental in level setting and shaping the agenda for health equity and the social drivers of health (SDOH), specifically for Medicare.About National Government Services (NGS)For more than 50 years, National Government Services has been empowering federal healthcare agencies to improve lives and communities. Its core business areas include digital health, providing federal IT solutions and services for healthcare, and business process Solutions. This includes its role as a Medicare contractor for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Part of the Anthem family of businesses, NGS is headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, and employs more than 1,500 associates across the country. 

It’s hard to believe that for the first decades of the information age, the U.S. military kept track of health records for millions of active-duty soldiers, sailors, airmen and airwomen, support staff, and retired service members using pens and pencils, typewriters, copy machines, and snail-mail. Unsurprisingly, errors were all too common, as people were involved in every transaction. As hard as healthcare staff worked to get it all right, mistakes still happened, records were impacted, and patients often suffered the consequences.  Today we speak with Rob Carey, the President of Cloudera Government Soultions on how a successful EHR system allows for a person’s medical history to be available at the point of care at any military medical facility, and within seconds.    Rob Carey, President of Cloudera Government SolutionsAs a highly recognized executive, Rob Carey leads the public sector team at Cloudera Government Solutions during a time in government when data-centric projects and digital transformation is of the utmost importance. As former U.S. Navy CIO and Deputy DOD CIO, Carey uses his 32 years of federal experience to apply what’s needed to meet the standards for the future of IT modernization in government. He supports customers across the federal civilian and defense sector as they continue to navigate data-driven challenges and work to meet key White House directives.  Cloudera Government Solutions Cloudera Government Solutions believes data can make what is impossible today, possible tomorrow. Each day, the company shows federal government agencies the true value of data. Cloudera empowers its customers to transform complex data into clear and actionable insights, ensuring that teams are able to build their data-driven future.Government agencies are faced with a multitude of challenges, including aging legacy systems, fraud and abuse, and crippling cyberattacks. Cloudera’s solutions address these challenges by simplifying data acquisition and delivery, while providing public sector leaders with the insights they need to serve their constituents.Cloudera partners with federal, state and local, and education institutions to support data security and governance mandates, modernize data architectures across any platform, and meet the zero-trust mandate related to data flow. With customers across 40 global governments, Cloudera can accelerate data movement and digital transformation to accomplish mission-critical objectives. 

The increasing use and adoption of AI across the Federal Government shines a growing spotlight on the potential risks and vulnerabilities facing government agencies and their stakeholders.  As the need for AI technologies are being rapidly adopted and implemented across the government, effective AI risk management becomes increasingly essential. KPMG Managing Director Mike Peckham explores Trusted AI and provides insight into the steps Federal agencies can take to better understand their AI risk posture.  Mike Peckham, KPMG Managing DirectorMike is a financial services and large-scale Change Management leader. With over 34 years of federal experience, Mike championed the use of new technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Robotic Process Automation, and Blockchain, to promote data-driven decisions at HHS.    KPMGAt KPMG they are committed to helping make the US healthcare system work for everyone. Their professionals bring the right mix of passion, technical capabilities, and knowledge of health and human services programs and agencies to solve the most complex problems facing healthcare today. They work side-by-side with you, asking the hard questions and applying innovative, human-centered thinking. They take a tailored approach that focuses on your people, your mission, and your organization, with services that span strategy, implementation, and sustainment.  Learn more about KPMG, their people, and solutions at www.kpmg.com/us/federal 

Dr. Rod  Fontecilla of Guidehouse joins us today to discuss how digital twins can advance patient care via simulation environments and immersive experiences to improve efficiency across clinical facilities, medical centers, and outpatient clinics, as well as advance personalized medicine.Rod Fontecilla, PhD, Chief Innovation Officer, GuidehouseDr. Fontecilla has more than 30 years of experience in implementing large and complex mission-critical IT solutions for both the federal government and commercial sector. He oversees Guidehouse’s strategic research and development efforts, advances initiatives to expand corporate technical competencies and capabilities, and fosters the development of innovative solutions. In doing so, Dr. Fontecilla leads all aspects of technology development in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and predictive analytics, including data analytics, software engineering, application modernization, and cloud computing. GuidehouseGuidehouse is a leading global provider of consulting and outsourcing services to the public sector and commercial markets, with broad capabilities in management, technology, and risk. Recognized as the third-largest healthcare management consulting firm by Modern Healthcare in 2021, the Guidehouse Health team helps hospitals and health systems, government agencies, life sciences and retail companies, employers, and payers solve their most complex issues, overcome unique market challenges, and deliver innovative services to their communities and customers. Visit the Guidehouse Center for Health Insights for health industry research, trends, and best practices. 

Rates of suicide are increasing among members of the military. This podcast will explore of new technologies like automation and asynchronous tools can help address the growing behavioral health crisis and reach more people in need. Mitch Mitchell, VP Government Solutions AmwellW.B. “Mitch” Mitchell currently serves as Group Vice President, Government Solutions with Amwell. Mitch is a senior strategy and management professional with over 25 years passionately building businesses in healthcare and information technology. He combines expertise in Military and Veteran’s Health, Telemedicine, Federal Health Programs, Patient Engagement and Clinical eHealth Strategy Development. Before joining Amwell, Mitch led Government Solutions for Ciox Health and for 15 years prior, Mitch led teams across McKesson/RelayHealth and Change Healthcare, supporting complex commercial and federal health IT, HIE and patient engagement programs. AmwellAmwell is a leading digital care delivery platform in the United States and globally, connecting and enabling providers, insurers, patients, and innovators to deliver greater access to more affordable, higher quality care. Amwell believes that digital care delivery will transform healthcare. The Company offers a single, comprehensive platform to support all telehealth needs from urgent to acute and post-acute care, as well as chronic care management and healthy living. With over a decade of experience, Amwell powers telehealth solutions for over 2,000 hospitals and 55 health plan partners with over 36,000 employers, covering over 80 million lives. 

Today we have a discussion with the CEO of Anthro-Tech on the importance of putting people at the center of everything companies do, which is a change that not everyone is going to love, but in the end, it will help the federal government be more efficient and effective in delivering usable and accessible services and solutions to improve people’s lives. Suzanne Boyd, CEO and Founder, Anthro-TechSuzanne is the Founder and CEO of Anthro-Tech. She has more than 20 years of experience in leading user-centered design and customer research initiatives for government agencies, non-profits, and organizations with a social impact mission. As a trusted advisor for many clients, Suzanne has a proven track record in successfully positioning user-centered design as a catalyst for delivering better customer experiences and helping organizations make the shift to customer-centric business processes and cultures. She is a thought leader and expert in institutionalizing user-centered design, cross-channel customer experience, and E-Government strategy.Anthro-TechAnthro-Tech is a human-centered design consultancy focused on government agencies, nonprofits and enterprises with a social impact mission. We provide user-centered design strategy, user research, and user experience design to organizations throughout the region and across the nation. We help organizations gain a deep understanding of their customers through research to design products and services that are usable, useful and make a positive impact on people’s every-day lives. Anthro-Tech has extensive experience leading customer strategy initiatives and transforming organizations to be more customer-centric.

 Addressing President Biden’s Customer Experience (CX) Mandate in Federal Health In December 2021, President Biden published an Executive Order that mandated federal agencies to adopt the customer experience (CX) approach in their primary strategy and operations. Biden stated that “the government’s primary mission is to serve. By placing people at the center of everything we do, the government will be able to deliver timely, modern and secure services to you — the people.”With December’s EO and the recent news from OMB, the White House wants to fundamentally change the way Americans access government services and benefits by focusing on the “life experiences” of those seeking assistance. CX efforts should make government services and processes easier to interact with and utilize, specifically actions aligned with life events that often require interaction with the government. In turn, these executive statements should lead to stronger trust in government, especially as we’re over two years into a global pandemic, when federal health plans of action are of the utmost importance.Rita BreenIn her current position as the Agile and Human Centered Design Practices Director at National Government Services, Rita’s primary goal is to solve mission-critical challenges for federal patients and customers. She has nearly two decades of project management (PM) experience and has been a part of the NGS team since 2018. Rita mainly supports the technical PMs and HCD teams that drive the customer-centered approach to FedHealth IT. She and the team focus on solving major pain points while bolstering product quality and improving customer experiences across the board. Rita is truly passionate about identifying the key needs of citizens, setting actionable metrics and learning to meet them with empathy and understanding.National Government Services (NGS) For more than 50 years, National Government Services has been empowering federal healthcare agencies to improve lives and communities. Its core business areas include digital health, providing federal IT solutions and services for healthcare, and business process Solutions. This includes its role as a Medicare contractor for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Part of the Anthem family of businesses, NGS is headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, and employs more than 1,500 associates across the country. 

 Today we focus on accelerating innovation in the federal government and how industry partners can support the process, with JP Marcelino who leads the Modeling and Simulation strategy for Dell Technologies. JP Marcelino JP leads the Modeling and Simulation strategy for Dell Technologies. His responsibilities include technology verticals such as AI & Machine Learning, AR/VR, Simulation and Digital Twin.  He currently manages partners including Nvidia, Intel, Cloudera, LIQID, Beast Code, McLaren and others to help position Dell as a partner to our federal customers in shaping their Modeling and Simulation strategy. Prior joining Dell, JP was a Regional Sales Manager for Future Electronics, driving AI/ML strategy and enablement for their embedded IoT customers designing with processors, FPGAs and Single Board PCs. Dell Technologies The Dell Technologies federal team is 100% committed to your mission. Whether you’re optimizing an existing infrastructure or exploring emerging technologies — 5G, AI/ML, modeling and simulation — in the cloud or at the edge, we have the solutions and technology expertise. 

Today we speak to an industry expert on the difference between IT Modernization and Digital Transformation and what it all means in updating  your systems and preparing for the future.David Marsh, Industry Principal, FederalDavid joined Pega in January of 2020 and has been providing strategic insight, guidance, and support to our Federal Civilian team. He monitors industry and government IT trends, develops targeted campaigns, publishes blogs, and develops content to support business growth. Additionally, David participates in thought leadership roundtables and moderates discussions to increase awareness and presence of the Pega Government Platform across the Federal marketplace.  Prior to Pega, he was supporting the White House Office of American Innovation (WHOAI) as the industry lead for the Cloud Adoption and Digital Transformation Center of Excellence.  David is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Naval Reserve and currently lives in Arlington, Virginia. PegaPega is the leader in cloud software for customer engagement and operational excellence. The world’s most recognized and successful brands rely on Pega’s AI-powered software to optimize every customer interaction on any channel while ensuring their brand promises are kept. Pega’s low-code application development platform allows enterprises to quickly build and evolve apps to meet their customer and employee needs and drive digital transformation on a global scale. For more than 35 years, Pega has enabled higher customer satisfaction, lower costs, and increased customer lifetime value. 

This podcast is based on an event dated June 7, 2022. If you missed this event, be sure and check out our list of upcoming events on FedHealthIT.Today we are speaking to Megan Murray, the Executive Director of Programs & Outreach for FedHealthIT about the upcoming Innovation Awards taking place at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. This high-energy event includes a mix of keynote speakers, panel discussions, fireside chats, and rapid-fire talks featuring Federal Government leaders focused on agency priorities, challenges, and opportunities for growth.Register for the event HERE.  

We are excited to announce a new podcast coming soon to the G2Xchange platform!  It’s all about the “tea” behind the stories in Government Business.  Theresa Holder will dig into how government and industry leaders make the tough decisions behind the biggest contract awards and career moves you only hear about “after the fact”.  Real conversations about the things that are shifting the paradigm in both government and industry directly from the leaders that are behind the transformative shifts. About our Host: Ms. Theresa Holder has over 20 years of experience working in the IT industry with 16 years specializing in Health IT. These projects span across the globe with commercial, federal, and local customers. She has led pursuit teams for some of the most impactful Federal Health IT companies, with a constant focus on providing innovation and strengthening customer relationships. 

Taking a look at modern, phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication options and how companies, such as Yubico, are working with federal agencies to strengthen their cybersecurity postures. Jeff Phillips, VP Public Sector, YubicoJeff Phillips is Vice President, Public Sector at Yubico, where he oversees federal and SLED activities in North America.  Jeff is a technology industry veteran with over 25 years of experience in enterprise technology, cyber security, compliance, distributed architecture, IDM, and multi-factor authentication.  Prior to Yubico, Jeff was focused on public sector engagements at Dell, SecureAuth, BeyondTrust, Quest Software, and NetPro. Jeff holds an active TS/SCI U.S. government clearance.  When not working, Jeff enjoys traveling, golfing, hiking, scuba diving, fishing, and playing and watching all sports and spending time with his wife and two childrenYubicoAs the inventor of the YubiKey, Yubico makes secure login easy. As a leader in setting global standards for secure access to computers, mobile devices, and more, Yubico is also a creator and core contributor to the FIDO2, WebAuthn, and FIDO Universal 2nd Factor (U2F), and open authentication standards. Yubico is privately held, with a presence around the globe. For more information, please visit: www.yubico.com. 

 With wins of Innovation and Disruptive Tech awards under their belt, the Science Director at TATRC discusses the innovative approaches they’ve made with and the future of NETCCN, an evolving network of clinical care teams that provide expert medical advice to anyone who needs it, wherever they may be, using network enabled mobile devices such as – cell phones, tablets, computers. Fundamentally, Matt Quinn Matt Quinn is Science Director for the Army’s Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) and leads efforts by TATRC’s research & development teams to forge the future by fusing data, humans, and machines into solutions that optimize Warfighter performance and casualty care. Matt has over 20 years of experience in health technology across multiple federal agencies and the private sector. Matt testified before the Senate and the House, been recognized multiple times with the FedHealthIT100 award, received the HHS Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor granted by the department, the Army Meritorious Civilian Service Medal for his work in launching the National Emergency Tele-Critical Care Network (NETCCN) and the first ever National Health IT Collaborative for the Underserved "Champion of Diversity" award. He earned an engineering degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MBA from Colorado State UniversityTATRCAdvanced technologies including autonomous systems powered by artificial intelligence are projected to be at the forefront of the Multi-Domain Operations battlefield of 2035. TATRC provides one of the only places where the fusion of data, humans, and machines is studied as new technologies are in development, with close attention paid to human-machine teaming during casualty care. The research and technology development at TATRC rapidly produces solutions for military medicine that optimize warfighter performance through health optimization and optimize casualty care by maximizing capability, and thus medical system capacity, at the point of care by leveraging computer-machine-human teams. 

 Today on Keeping IT Brief, Dr. William Kassler of Palantir, would like to discuss the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (known as N3C)—a unique national EHR data repository bringing together health care records across 70+ institutions to help researchers better understand COVID. Bringing together EHR data across institutions—especially at this scale—is challenging. Institutions rely on different data models, have different data quality issues, and seek assurances around the privacy and security of their data. Linking relevant data beyond EHR records in a way that preserves patient privacy is an additional challenge. To overcome these challenges, N3C established a data infrastructure to manage the data itself, as well as the access to and use of the data.N3C now supports approximately 300 projects, 3,500 researchers, and 12M patients. With such breadth and depth of data, N3C can support future research projects on a number of rare and under-studied conditions.  William Kassler, MD, MPH, FACP, Chief Medical OfficerDr. William Kassler is Palantir Technologies’ Chief Medical Officer.  He oversees Palantir’s life sciences and public health teams across the company’s U.S. government and international business. Dr. Kassler previously worked at IBM Watson Health, where he served as deputy chief health officer and chief medical officer for government health and human services.His public health sector career included time as state health officer for the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services and chief medical officer for the New England Region of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. He began his career at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.PalantirPalantir Technologies Inc. is a software company that builds the world's leading platforms for data-driven operations and decision-making. Founded in 2004, Palantir Technologies has 2,500 employees across the world. We partner with government agencies, commercial institutions, and non-profit organizations to transform how they achieve their missions. Our partners have included the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and others. 

Digital modernization aims to ensure companies attain maximum IT efficiency and security by leveraging technology and tools. Key to these achievements are how we develop and tailor a delivery model that helps address gaps, bring in innovation and generate value to all stakeholders.In today’s Keeping IT Brief, we will explore what it means to deliver value, the role of User Experience and Product Strategy to bring about value through digital modernization process in providing services to the federal government. Yoseph Asfaw, Chief Technology Officer for Leidos CMS DivisionYoseph Asfaw has an extensive experience in design, development and delivery of large scale multi-milliondollar enterprise systems with a passion for building intuitive big data applications integrating User Experience, Agile delivery and DevSecOps in cloud infrastructure. His background includes Business and Enterprise Architecture, Project and Product Management as well as Systems and Process Improvement using Enterprise Architecture Frameworks and Lean Six Sigma. Yoseph is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Enterprise Architect (EA), Agile and Lean Six Sigma Practitioner. He is recipient of the 2021 national award for “Disruptive Change Agent Shifting the Landscape” by G2Xchange for his leadership in transforming the US Federal Government technology landscape by delivering modern and high-performance applications for use by the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). He is also an OKR Champion and coach helping organizations transform value-based delivery.LeidosLeidos is a Fortune 500® technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets. The company's 43,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Va., Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $13.7 billion for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. For more information, visit http://www.Leidos.com. 

Today we discuss the benefits of Tele-Pain Neuromodulation.  TP-NM is a noninvasive brain stimulation that involves the application of low amplitude direct current via surface electrodes on the scalp. It is used as a treatment for conditions like Parkinson’s disease because of its capability to influence cognitive, motor and behavioral processes.  Let’s learn more. Dr. Ralph Monte, clinical psychologistDr. Ralph Monte is a clinical psychologist specializing in chronic pain, working at the University of Maryland Rehabilitation and Orthopedic Institute in Baltimore, Maryland.  He is an Adjunct Assistant Professor with the University of Maryland School of Medicine, assisting with the Pain Medicine Fellowship training program. As the pain psychologist at the University of Maryland’s Pain Management Center, he provides behavioral health services to assist patients in coping with their chronic pain. In addition, he evaluates potential candidates for pain neuromodulation treatment, as patients may be considered for potential implantation of spinal cord stimulators and other such devices to further manage pain issues. Dr. Monte also works with Aptive Resources, where he supports the Veteran Health Administration’s initiative to further develop their Tele-Pain Neuromodulation Program. AptiveLed by CEO Rachele Cooper, a Navy Veteran and aerospace engineer, Aptive is a trusted partner and consulting services provider for government organizations seeking to accomplish strategic transformations, improve performance and leverage modern technology. Aptive has supported the federal government for more than a decade and was named a 2021 Top Workplace by the Washington Post. 

On today’s episode of Keeping IT Brief, we speak with Donna Knutson, the Associate Director of Guidehouse on broader public health data modernization that pertains not just to federal sector, but also state and local and commercial. Donna Knutson, Associate Director at GuidehouseWith more than 30 years of experience, Donna Knutson, PhD, is a public health veteran. Her career spans local, state, and federal public health agencies, as well as non- and for-profit institutions. Throughout the pandemic, Knutson has represented the CDC Office of the Director in the Secretary's Operations Center and the Federal Emergency Management Agency National Response Coordination Center. She previously served as deputy director for the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Knutson also held leadership positions in the CDC’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Office of Terrorism Prevention and Emergency Response, and Center for Injury Prevention and Control.GuidehouseGuidehouse is a leading global provider of consulting and outsourcing services to the public sector and commercial markets, with broad capabilities in management, technology, and risk. Recognized as the third-largest healthcare management consulting firm by Modern Healthcare in 2021, the Guidehouse Health team helps hospitals and health systems, government agencies, life sciences and retail companies, and payers solve their most complex issues, overcome unique market challenges, and deliver innovative services to their communities and customers. Visit the Guidehouse Center for Health Insights for their latest health research, trends, and best practices. 

 Kaajal Singh, Director at Guidehouse, joins us for today’s episode of Keeping IT Brief to take a look at how to think about non-clinical health drivers when making enterprise strategy decisions. Kaajal Singh, MHA, Director, GuidehouseWith 15 years in health strategy, operations, analytics, and leadership, Kaajal has served clients domestically and internationally across the federal and commercial sectors. Her recent efforts have been focused on value-based care strategies, including clinical and non-clinical determinants of health, helping organizations and communities better define, implement, and measure initiatives that contribute to improved health quality and reduced total cost of care. A team builder and talent developer, she was previously a leader at GE, Advisory Board Company, and Booz Allen Hamilton. Kaajal is also a founding member of Chief, enabling women to cross-pollinate ideas and advance their leadership journeys.Guidehouse Guidehouse is a leading global provider of consulting and outsourcing services to the public sector and commercial markets, with broad capabilities in management, technology, and risk. Recognized as the third-largest healthcare management consulting firm by Modern Healthcare in 2021, the Guidehouse Health team helps hospitals and health systems, government agencies, life sciences and retail companies, and payers solve their most complex issues, overcome unique market challenges, and deliver innovative services to their communities and customers. Visit the Guidehouse Center for Health Insights for their latest health research, trends, and best practices. 

 Trends in low-code/no-code solutions in the cloud – Customers wanting to migrate from on-premise systems to the Cloud has been the norm for several years. The commercial industry typically leads the charge on this movement with the Government making a commitment to ride the wave close behind. Most Federal agencies have already issued Cloud BPAs. GSA is gearing up to issue one as well. Today’s episode of Keeping IT Brief dives into this technology trend.Raman Bhasker, Technical Director at Index Analytics Raman is a seasoned technology leader with more than 16 years of diverse experience in the information technology industry serving the federal government and the commercial sectors. As a Technical Director at Index Analytics, Raman is responsible for leading solution implementations, mentoring teams and driving the technical maturity across Index's project portfolio. He has led technical solution delivery of several data modernization initiatives including data strategy, cloud migration, enterprise application integration, scalable and cost-effective IT systems across several business components within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Prior to federal government contracting, Raman led IT solution implementations in the commercial healthcare and insurance industries.Joseph Cardillo, Salesforce Practice Lead Joseph is responsible for supporting all Salesforce implementations and resources at Index Analytics. He has more than 10 years of government contracting experience, working with several business components within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) supporting a wide range of missions that include the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and Medicare Appeals. His focus and objective is to always build high-performing teams who have great chemistry and support each other for the benefit of all.Index Analytics An 8(a) certified small business specializing in data strategy, data integration, data visualization and Salesforce CRM solutions. Founded in 2012, Index has been delivering award winning IT solutions and improved our clients’ return on investment (ROI) by providing high-quality enterprise solutions to federal government agencies. We are proud to have successfully supported multiple enterprise-wide information technology (IT)-related deployments on domains such as Business Intelligence (BI); Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) tools and technologies; Big Data; data strategy; Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology; user training, coaching and support.Index Analytics’ services can be accessed through the following government contract vehicles: GSA Schedule 70 (SIN for IT Professional Services and Health IT; GSA Professional Services Schedule (formerly MOBIS) and CIO-SP3 (HUBZone); Please visit http://www.index-analytics.com/ for additional information 

 This podcast is based on an event dated March 29, 2022. If you missed this event, be sure and check out our list of upcoming events on FedHealthIT.Today we are speaking to Megan Murray, the Executive Director of Programs & Outreach for G2xchange, Milemarker10 and FedHealthIT about the upcoming Disruptive Tech Summit taking place at AMP Theater at Pike and Rose Center in North Bethesda, MD.  It will be an opportunity to hear from the Federal IT innovators and game changers who are positively transforming how Government fulfills its missions.Register for the event here. 

 In an increasingly fast-paced and complex digital world, organizations are embracing ITIL 4 as the reference framework to accomplish change. Gartner defines digital disruption as “an effect that changes the fundamental expectations and behaviors in a culture, market, industry or process that is caused by, or expressed through, digital capabilities, channels or assets.” Digital disruption is the new norm as technological progresses give rise to new products, services – ever increasing customer demands and expectations. The Information Technology Infrastructure Library Edition 4 (ITIL 4) framework enables organizations to embrace digital transformation in an incremental and proven manner at speed with concepts like high velocity IT. Check out our latest episode of Keeping IT Brief with two leaders of Leidos to learn more. Andy Turner, Lead Service Architect With 30 years of military and industry experience, Andy has a proven track record of managing teams, designing and delivering service capabilities to meet the customer’s needs. He is a qualified in ITIL V4 Strategic Leader and Managing Professional, experienced with SIAM model/framework delivery and integration, design governance, transition and early life support for a range of government customers. In his various roles, he has able to strategize and define reusable service management operating models which align with both business needs and technical solutions. Andy has served Leidos as Service Architect for corporate, Scottish Government, and UK Defence bids, and also the HOB Delivery Program. Previously, he provided Service Delivery and Architecture support to UK Defence, UK Government Departments, UK Police forces, and commercial organizations. From 2017-2020, Andy was the Chairperson for the ITSMF SIAM Special Interest Group, collaborating across industry to establish SIAM best practice documentation. Jason Beasley, Senior IT Managed Services Solution Architect/Corporate ITIL 4 Technical Evangelist Jason has more than 22 years of industry IT experience, including Federal and Commercial markets with a focus on strategic planning, business development, leadership, team building, and value driven design. His eclectic blend of vision, adaptability, self-motivation, ethics, team focus, technical expertise, and passion for excellence have been recognized by many well-known global organizations including Lockheed Martin, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Office of The Surgeon General, and Dell. Jason has supported global organizations in roles including Principal Consultant for Data Center and Cloud Transformation, Customer Solution Executive, Data Protection SME, Enterprise Solutions Architect, and Project Manager. In his current role at Leidos as Senior IT Managed Services Solution Architect within the Digital Modernization Accelerator, he supports/leads corporate strategic initiatives, IRADs, and supports bids/programs. Leidos:Leidos is a Fortune 500® technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets. The company's 43,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Va., Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $13.7 billion for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. For more information, visit http://www.Leidos.com. 

 This podcast is based on an event dated March 15,2022.  If you missed this event be sure and check out our list of upcoming events on FedHealthIT.Today we are speaking to Susan Sharer the G2Xchange/FedHealthIT about the upcoming Women in Leadership Luncheon taking place during HIMSS in Florida. Link to register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/leading-for-impact-women-in-leadership-luncheon-during-himss-2022-tickets-210121979497

As emerging technologies become an everyday reality embracing a cloud presence can help bolster access to your service offerings.  When considering a cloud migration there are several areas to think about to fully leverage cloud technologies and services. Dina Guerrero, Deputy Director Health Information Technology Business Unit, Sentar Inc. Ms. Dina Guerrero has helped develop cyber solutions across DoD and Military Health System components for 25+ years. Supporting military medical IT, she has engineered technically sound and secure solutions for critical systems supporting Medical Treatment Facilities (MTF) and MRMC Integrated Clinical Systems. Partnering with military, civilian and vendor communities she delivered venues for authorizing medical devices in DoD networks. She led Technical Engineering and Information Exchanges to evaluate MTF network and medical device equipment (MDE) cyber protections used to align with Cyber Security Service Provider capabilities. Currently, as consultant to Federal Agencies and Department of Defense, she provides innovative solutions that address traditional problems taking into consideration a changing cyber threat landscape.  About Sentar, Inc.Sentar is one of the fastest-growing cyber intelligence, analytics and operations solutions providers focused on the National Security sector. Its cyber domain solutions blend expertise in cybersecurity, intelligence, analytics, and systems engineering into holistic solutions that combine these disciplines to deliver superior results to mission partners. Key clients include the U.S. Navy, the Defense Health Agency, the U.S. Army, and Missile Defense Agency. Sentar has offices in Huntsville, Alabama; Charleston, South Carolina; Columbia, Maryland; San Antonio, Texas; and San Diego, California. Visit www.sentar.com for more information.

Did you miss our recent event Agency Spotlight: DHA - Building Your 2022 Opportunity Roadmap, highlighting info from our keynote speakers?Sara Byrd, Senior Capture Manager, Military and Veterans Health Solutions, LeidosJessica Denman, Senior Director, DHA Portfolio, SAIC, former Chief, Acquisition Oversight, PEO DHMSFrancisco Dominicci, Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired),Senior Vice President, B.E.A.T. llc,  former Chief, Solutions Delivery Division, DHAWalt Engle, President, Chiral Medical Consulting, former, Director Clinical Operations, US ArmyKevin Seeley, Colonel, U.S.Air Force, (Retired), Vice President, Strategic Programs, Military Health, GDIT, former Deputy CIO, DHABrian Sheets, Director, Business Development, TIAGMark Webb, Colonel, U.S. Army, (Retired), President & CEO, Joint MedOps; former Deputy Assistant Program Manager, Deployment, DHMSM and Chief of Staff, PEO DHMSRich Wilson, Colonel, U.S. Army, (Retired), Director, Guidehouse, former Chief, Solution Delivery Division, DHAJason Windsor,  Colonel, U.S. Army, (Retired), Vice President, Health IT, GDIT, former Program Manager, EHR-Core Solutions Delivery, J-6, DHAIn this sound Clip Jason Windsor throws the question to Kevin Seeley, Rich Wilson, Sara Bryd and Brian Sheets…

So what does a successful cloud platform strategy entail and how can industry better partner with government clients to achieve your goals?  Today we speak with Arveen Kohli of Dell Technologies who walks us through the basics. Arveen KohliServices Sales Leader, Dell TechnologiesOver the past five years at Dell Technologies, Arveen has been focused on outcome-based services around IT, Digital, Workplace and Security Transformations. Arveen has recently joined the Dell Civilian business and is invested in growing trusted relationships with partners and customers. Her team is focused on providing consultative professional services effectuating successful business transformations. Prior to joining Dell, Arveen was at Microsoft Corporation where she focused on the Midwest region out of Chicagoland. Her forte is to assist organizations in achieving their full transformation potential through value driven outcomes, in alignment with people, process and technology. Dell TechnologiesThe Dell Technologies federal team is 100% committed to your mission. Whether you’re providing critical citizen services, innovating for the next generation, or securing the nation, we bring the right technology, a secure supply chain, targeted expertise, and far-reaching vision to help guide your journey.

Andrew Conn is president of Anthem subsidiary National Government Services (and was also named President of Anthem’s Federal Government Solutions group in September). Early on in his leadership, he laid out a clear and bold vision for the future of the organization – specifically, how the company would come to define the Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) of the future, transform its Digital Health component and focus on organizational culture and talent alignment to facilitate real change. Andrew has also extended his vision to include external stakeholder relationships. He prioritized collaborating, problem-solving, and understanding NGS’ federal health clients and business partners. His strategy is paying dividends, illustrated by the recent award of a new 7-year MAC Jurisdiction K contract for CMS. Today, he’s sharing his outlook for trends in the federal health IT space for the coming year.Andrew ConnPresident, National Government SolutionsAndrew Conn serves as President, National Government Solutions (NGS) under Anthem’s Government Business Division.  With revenue of more than $12 billion, NGS plays an integral role in protecting and improving the effectiveness of healthcare for millions of Americans who depend on federal care. NGS includes Federal Health Products and Services, which administers Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s Federal Employee Program in Anthem markets, as well as Wellpoint Military Care. National Government ServicesFor more than 50 years, National Government Services has been a trusted partner and innovative leader in federal health care contracting. Employing approximately 1,500 associates, National Government Services is committed to providing robust health information technology and administrative services. As a Medicare contractor for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), National Government Services processes more than 228 million Medicare claims and administers benefits of approximately $84 billion from the Medicare Trust Fund annually. Additional information about National Government Services is available at http://www.ngsservices.com

Arveen Kohli of Dell Technologies joins us to breakdown the Operating Model-people, processes and technology-and how these important pieces affect an organization's success.  She also discusses the risks of not incorporating a change of the operating model in your business. Arveen KohliServices Sales Leader, Dell TechnologiesOver the past five years at Dell Technologies, Arveen has been focused on outcome-based services around IT, Digital, Workplace and Security Transformations. Arveen has recently joined the Dell Civilian business and is invested in growing trusted relationships with partners and customers. Her team is focused on providing consultative professional services effectuating successful business transformations. Prior to joining Dell, Arveen was at Microsoft Corporation where she focused on the Midwest region out of Chicagoland. Her forte is to assist organizations in achieving their full transformation potential through value driven outcomes, in alignment with people, process and technology. Dell TechnologiesA small write up about your company or organization (150 words max)The Dell Technologies federal team is 100% committed to your mission. Whether you’re providing critical citizen services, innovating for the next generation, or securing the nation, we bring the right technology, a secure supply chain, targeted expertise, and far-reaching vision to help guide your journey.

Today we are taking an in depth look at the pressing technology issues the healthcare industry is facing with Mitch Newman of Dell Technologies.  He dives into how private companies help manage healthcare data across government agencies.About Mitch NewmanBusiness Development Executive, Federal Strategic ProgramsIn his role at Dell Technologies, Mitch helps federal agencies meet their missions with digital transformation and innovative approaches to data management. He has over 30 years of experience in the medical and healthcare industry building and managing teams that have achieved aggressive growth in the digital health, telehealth, life sciences, and the U.S. government markets. Mitch focuses on incorporating new technology to improve workflow, patient care, and customers’ day-to-day experiences. About Dell TechnologiesDell Technologies is the only true provider of the end-to-end IT capabilities needed to drive your mission through digital transformation, from edge to core to cloud. We deliver the most advanced enterprise infrastructure for mission-critical environments. Whether you are providing critical citizen services, innovating for the next generation, or securing the nation, we bring the right technology, a secure supply chain, targeted expertise, and far-reaching vision to help guide your journey.

The Chief Information Officer of the FDA joins us to take a look at how the FDA is doing things differently then previous efforts and focuses on budget allocation to drive IT Modernization and Transformation.Vid Desai; Chief Information Officer, Food and Drug AdministrationVid Desai is a seasoned technology leader with more than 30 years of experience in the information technology (IT) field, and healthcare and life sciences industries. He has previous experience working for large pharmaceutical and medical device companies, and clinical research organizations (CRO).As the FDA’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) in the newly-established Office of Digital Transformation (ODT), Mr. Desai sets and leads the agency’s IT strategy, as well as the agency’s enterprise IT, data management, and cybersecurity. The ODT team oversees the overall FDA IT spend of more than $750M and a staff of around 2,500 employees and contractors. Prior to being named CIO, Mr. Desai served as the FDA’s Chief Technology Officer, overseeing day-to-day technology operations as the leader of the Office of Information Management and Information Technology.FDA:The FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.The FDA is also responsible for advancing the public health by helping to speed innovations that make medicines and foods more effective, safer, and more affordable; and helping the public get the accurate, science-based information they need to use medicines and foods to improve their health.

This podcast will focus on the HealthSuite Digital Platform (HSDP) and its critical role in federal health IT, and how it solves for challenges that the industry faces. Dave Davidson of Philips will discuss the platform, as well as provide a forward-looking view of the health IT industry.Dave Davidson started his career at Philips in 2005 as the Technical & Clinical Sales Manager for the enterprise imaging informatics business group. Dave held a number of roles in that business, helping to drive sales to exceed quotas for eight consecutive quarters and doubling its market share before moving to the HealthSuite business group in 2016. For the past two years, Dave has been focused on HealthSuite Business Development in North America and helping third parties interested in developing and moving Healthcare solutions to the cloud.Philips is a leading health technology company focused on improving people’s health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum – from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips HealthSuite Digital Platform connects devices and data; aggregates clinical and consumer data; stores data securely; shares data; supports analysis; and creates solutions that make data.

Since taking over as Chairman of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals Cheryl L. Mason was tasked with addressing the impact of Covid on the future of hearings.  Taking steps to fast track virtual hearings Mason has taken strides to be sure the inability to meet in person hasn’t stopped the Board’s mission.  Cheryl L. Mason serves as the Chairman of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board). She is the first woman to hold his position. The Board’s mission is conducting hearings and deciding appeals on benefits and services for Veterans and their families.Ms. Mason leads a team of approximately 1200 personnel including Veterans Law Judges, attorneys, and operations and administrative professionals. She is accountable for the management of Board resources and executing a budget of over $190 million. The Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) is an agency within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Its mission is to conduct hearings and issue timely decisions for Veterans, their families and caregivers.  The Board is responsible for making final decisions on behalf of the Secretary regarding appeals for Veterans’ benefits and services from all three administrations - Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and National Cemetery Administration (NCA) as well as the Office of General Counsel (OGC) that are presented to the Board for appellate review.

Today our Executive Director, Programs and Outreach Megan Murray speaks to one of our Impact 2021 speakers Susan Schmitt of SAIC on talking a look at the workforce of tomorrow and how women are playing an important role in the IT community.  Susan SchmittSusan Schmitt is the VP of the Service Management Office within SAIC’s corporate Information Technology Office (ITO). Susan joined SAIC in 1995. Throughout her career she has held numerous positions of increasing authority, leading teams focused on application services, data center management, infrastructure, cloud engineering, data management, Oracle-based systems, program management, usability, and web technologies.  SAICSAIC® is a premier Fortune 500® technology integrator driving our nation’s technology transformation. Our robust portfolio of offerings across the defense, space, civilian, and intelligence markets includes secure high-end solutions in engineering, digital, artificial intelligence, and mission solutions. Using our expertise and understanding of existing and emerging technologies, we integrate the best components from our own portfolio and our partner ecosystem to deliver innovative, effective, and efficient solutions that are critical to achieving our customers' missions.

With cultural resistance to change one of the top reasons for failed digital transformation plans in government IT Byron Caswell and Sampada Rajan of ICF examine what this is and how the resistance can be overcome.Byron Caswell, Vice President of Strategic ConsultingByron oversees practice strategy for all of ICF’s Division’s technology delivery practices and leads the Health and Human Services Portfolio for the division following ICF’s acquisition of ITG in 2020. Byron’s team supports customers by providing the full lifecycle of digital transformation services including enterprise architecture direction and portfolio rationalization strategy, agile application development leveraging modern platforms, digital service center operations, customer engagement and human-centered design, and cybersecurity support.Sampada Rajan, Senior Manager, Data AnalyticsSampada provides clients with assistance streamlining business and systems processes, launching high- and low-level reporting system design, deriving key statistical indicators, and increasing technical operating efficiencies. She is a senior manager with our data analytics group and is an expert in the discovery and ingestion of enterprise data assets, data governance, agile implementation of data analytics products, project management, and execution. ICF:ICF is a global consulting services company, but we are not your typical consultants. We help clients navigate change and better prepare for the future.  Our team provides digital, cyber, and cloud-based platform services that drive transformational solutions across business and government. From cloud platforms and automation to machine learning and AI, we provide the foundation to meet dynamic end-user requirements and stand up a modern enterprise. We combine the best of advanced analytics, industry expertise, and enterprise technologies to build agile solutions that evolve to meet your changing needs. Our extensive suite of proprietary software and other technology tools add value to your projects from the outset. 

Scott Jensen lays out the importance of being certified veteran-owned and/or operated and how that can affect doing business with the VA.  What is now just a VA requirement will soon be a requirement to do business with the government.  Listen to learn more. Link to the  NVSBC  conference in November here. Scott Jensen:Scott Jensen is the Executive Director of the National Veteran Small Business Coalition. He has served as the Chief Operations Officer for Team RWB, Chief Executive Officer for Protect Our Defenders and as the Assistant Vice President for Leadership Development Programs at the American Council on Education.  His three decades of management, leadership and cultural experience provide holistic expertise, understanding, and keen insight into optimizing and growing organizations.  With a passion for serving the Veteran and nonprofit communities, he leverages his experience and expertise to support Veteran focused businesses and organizations, helping them maximize their capabilities through practices that achieve top performance. NVSBC:An 11-year-old nonprofit based in Washington, DC, the National Veteran Small Business Coalition (NVSBC) leads the way as the largest national membership-based Veteran Service Organization serving the needs of Veteran entrepreneurs and small businesses working as Federal contractors. As a dedicated group of veteran small business owners, NVSBC knows that an involved citizenry is our best solution to a strong national economy and industrial base. We know that service does not end when a military member takes off their uniform and that the unique qualities of our Veterans make them a force of nature in the business world. We also know that federal contracting is a tough environment, requiring a team effort to succeed. 

Karen Chan is leading the NGS effort to support the HRSA and CDC Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program. Her team leverages and analyzes data to determine how best to support  the program’s mission: providing the COVID-19 vaccine to our most underserved population. They have been conducting provider education and outreach in support of the Health Centers, and have hosted informational weekly office hours in support of these efforts. They also closely monitor the COVID-19 vaccine inventory for all health centers participating in the program and can incrementally expand as HRSA continues to add Health Centers to the Vaccine Program. Karen ChanStaff Vice President, Business Process SolutionsMs. Chan is responsible for oversight of National Government Services’ Business and Financial Solution Contracts including two Medicare Administrative Contracts (MACs) representing 20% of the nation’s Fee-for-Service workload. With 19 years of healthcare industry experience, Ms. Chan is leading a diverse team of program managers, solution architects and solutions managers to expand National Government Services’ Business Process Solutions footprint in both current and emerging markets. Her previous experience includes Medicare program integrity, program management, breakthrough leadership, and associate empowerment. About National Government ServicesFor more than 50 years, National Government Services has been a trusted partner and innovative leader in federal health care contracting. Employing approximately 1,500 associates, National Government Services is committed to providing robust health information technology and administrative services. As a Medicare contractor for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), National Government Services processes more than 228 million Medicare claims and administers benefits of approximately $84 billion from the Medicare Trust Fund annually. Additional information about National Government Services is available at http://www.ngsservices.com 

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and the Veteran’s Administration is taking steps to raise awareness around this important issue in their community.  Dr. David LaBorde spoke to us on the importance of keeping the conversion going. Below are resources that can help you and your family learn more about suicide prevention.The Veterans Crisis LineSuicide – Make the ConnectionVA’s Suicide Prevention SiteAbout Dr. LaBordeDavid LaBorde, M.D., M.B.A. is the CEO of Iconic Data Inc., a Healthcare technology company with solutions focused in the areas of real time analytics, patient flow optimization, and care coordination. He is also a Senior Clinical Advisor for DSS, Inc., a software products and services company that has worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs for more than 25 years. Dr. LaBorde has over 20 years of experience in Healthcare and technology and has worked with Healthcare provider organizations helping them with strategy, workflow standardization, achieving transparency into their operations, and improving their quality of care and operating performance.About Document Storage Systems, Inc. (DSS, Inc.)With over 25 years of experience, DSS knows what works. We are a health information software development and systems integration company, providing services and solutions used daily by thousands of clinicians and administrative staff nationwide, to reduce costs, streamline workflows and improve patient care. For more information about DSS, visit www.dssinc.com.About Iconic Data Inc.Iconic Data Inc. provides hospital information system integrated software solutions that help healthcare provider organizations deliver highly reliable care via standardized workflows, data visualization tools and analytics that together lead to reduced care variation and the ability to continuously monitor processes, performance and outcomes.  Learn more at iconicdata.com. 

Derek Shaw of BDO discusses the Polaris RFP and the requirements applicants should take into consideration when applying.Derek ShawDerek Shaw is a Managing Director in the Industry Specialty Services Group at BDO with a focus on Government Contracts.  Derek has extensive experience in mergers & acquisitions focusing on government contracting aspects, including restructuring proposal development.BDOBDO delivers assurance, tax, and financial advisory services to clients throughout the country and around the globe. They offer numerous industry-specific practices, world-class resources, and an unparalleled commitment to meeting their clients’ needs. They currently serve more than 400 publicly traded domestic and international clients. 

In this part 2, Red Team Consulting is joining the Keeping IT Brief podcast to share what they anticipate in the updated Polaris Draft RFP. This Q&A-focused episode will answer questions around all your burning questions, including, how the Polaris procurement is different than CIO-SP4, what companies can be doing now to get prepared for Polaris, how to know if your organization is qualified to prime, and much more.Red Team ConsultingRed Team Consulting, LLC (Red Team) is the premier provider of proposal development, capture strategy, pricing, and training services in support of federal contractors. Founded in 2004, we have been helping federal contractors of all sizes achieve their strategic goals. Red Team has supported more than 1,000 small and large companies compete on thousands of procurements and captured over $100 billion worth of federal contracts. We have strong relationships throughout the Government and industry, and our experience spans a broad array of service areas. Our mission is simple – help our clients grow their business.Blake HarveyAs Red Team Consulting’s Business Development Manager, Blake Harvey helps government contractors grow their business by providing them with capture strategy, proposal development, and cost and price strategy consulting services. Blake brings multiple years of Federal contracting delivery experience and knowledge which he leverages to help his clients develop a winning strategy.Joe Salgado Joe Salgado is a professionally trained capture and proposal professional with over 20 years of federal contracting experience. With his diverse background, Joe has successfully run large technical sales and engineering organizations as well as complex capture efforts and large multi-billion-dollar proposal engagements. He has management annual sales of over $300M and captured over $30B in federal contracts. 

 Red Team Consulting is joining the Keeping IT Brief podcast to share what they anticipate in the updated Polaris Draft RFP. This Q&A-focused episode will answer questions around all your burning questions, including, how the Polaris procurement is different than CIO-SP4, what companies can be doing now to get prepared for Polaris, how to know if your organization is qualified to prime, and much more.Red Team ConsultingRed Team Consulting, LLC (Red Team) is the premier provider of proposal development, capture strategy, pricing, and training services in support of federal contractors. Founded in 2004, we have been helping federal contractors of all sizes achieve their strategic goals. Red Team has supported more than 1,000 small and large companies compete on thousands of procurements and captured over $100 billion worth of federal contracts. We have strong relationships throughout the Government and industry, and our experience spans a broad array of service areas. Our mission is simple – help our clients grow their business.Blake HarveyAs Red Team Consulting’s Business Development Manager, Blake Harvey helps government contractors grow their business by providing them with capture strategy, proposal development, and cost and price strategy consulting services. Blake brings multiple years of Federal contracting delivery experience and knowledge which he leverages to help his clients develop a winning strategy.Joe Salgado Joe Salgado is a professionally trained capture and proposal professional with over 20 years of federal contracting experience. With his diverse background, Joe has successfully run large technical sales and engineering organizations as well as complex capture efforts and large multi-billion-dollar proposal engagements. He has management annual sales of over $300M and captured over $30B in federal contracts. 

This podcast interview with Joseph Davis, a support member of the Defense Health Agency through NIWC-LANT’s Cybersecurity component, discusses how DHA is assessing risk within MHS PaaS, one of the first enterprise system pioneers to feature Kubernetes (K-8’s) orchestrator for containerization technology on Red Hat’s OpenShift container deployment solution for standing up new applications and tools.Joseph Davis is a Cybersecurity Subject Matter Expert at Sentar and support member of the Defense Health Agency through NIWC-LANT’s Cybersecurity component. Joseph has supported many Cybersecurity elements within the DoD and recently has been part of a team that delivered an accelerated cloud migration for a legacy enterprise system and a new pivotal Platform as a Service in 12 weeks from inception to operation. Joseph also lead the security authorization of the first major application to the environment in 3 months.About SentarSentar is a cyber-intelligence company, applying analytics and systems engineering expertise to protect the national security and way of life by innovating, building, and securing mission-critical assets. Established in 1990, they have a long history of innovation. Today, they are one of the fastest-growing cyber-intelligence companies serving the National Security sector. Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

Today we are enjoying an inspirational interview with Darryl E. Peek II of Google Cloud.  As a thought leader, Mr. Peek discusses how to look introspectively when making plans to grow and develop teams.Darryl E. Peek II Mr. Peek is a thought leader who has spent over 15 years providing executive leadership to government organizations and possesses a well-proven set of proficiencies in the areas of acquisitions, digital transformation, cybersecurity, and business operations.In his current role as the Head of Federal Strategic Partnerships, Mr. Peek leads a team to manage partnerships with Federal Systems Integrators to implement innovative devices, technologies and platforms to public sector departments and agencies -leveraging his combined expertise in legislation, policy, and emerging technology to provide guidance and recommendations to federal civilian agencies on strategic priorities and enterprise technology investments.Google CloudGoogle Cloud provides organizations with leading infrastructure, platform capabilities and industry solutions. They deliver enterprise-grade cloud solutions that leverage Google’s cutting-edge technology to help companies operate more efficiently and adapt to changing needs, giving customers a foundation for the future. Customers in more than 150 countries turn to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to solve their most critical business problems. 

In this special podcast, Brock Webb of the Census Bureau joins us to discuss how industry helps Government innovate and how you too can get involved!Brock Webb is the Cloud Program Manager and leads Infrastructure Planning within the Computer Services Directorate at the United States Census Bureau. He recently returned from a yearlong special assignment as a Senior IT Policy Advisor within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). While there, he led the initial implementation of two sections from Title 3 of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act. Brock is a strategic thought leader, innovator, and change agent for Information Technology (IT) services. He was critical in establishing and leading the Census Cloud Program, which has transformed the way Census acquires and consumes IT. Under his leadership, the Census Cloud Program has saved millions in cost avoidance while modernizing capabilities, software, and IT processes. Prior to joining Census, Brock was the Chief Engineer for Cloud Computing in the Chief Technology Office (CTO) at the Department of Defense (DoD) Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). There, he played a key role in the development of DISA/DoD policy, strategic vision, implementation plans, and capability analysis. Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

“HHS is focused on the need to share electronic health records to gain insight into how to assist the mission of HHS to enhance the health and well being of all Americans,” according to Oki Mek. In this edition of Keeping IT Brief, he digs into how this can happen effectively in a large agency like HHS.About Oki MekAs the Senior Advisor to HHS CIO, Oki Mek’s focus is on initiating and leading changes through digital transformation that aims to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans; by providing for effective health and human services and by fostering sound, sustained advances in the sciences underlying medicine, public health, and social services. He also works on strategic analysis; scalability, sustainability, feasibility, and most importantly marketability. Champion collaboration as an essential component to innovation and serve as a conduit to improve HHS ability to deliver mission outcomes, provide excellent service, and effectively steward taxpayer dollars on behalf of the American people. He embraces the big data paradigm shift and continues to evolve not only to change the lives of the American people, but aim to change the world through emerging technologies. Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

 Standing out in the competitive and complex hiring process is important in getting the right staff to meet all of your companies needs.  Mark J. Tyrrell, the Founder of Right Resources, discusses how whether you need someone for an important project, or someone to join the team full-time, it is crucial to make the people you work with a top priority and understand that starting with the right people makes every project easier.Mark J. Tyrrell – Founder of Right ResourcesMark has recruited professionals in healthcare technology for over a decade. He graduated from Villanova University with a Bachelors in Business Administration and started his career as a systems consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting. He has recruited on positions for some of the most respected companies not only in and around Baltimore, but nationwide across the health tech industry. He lives in Catonsville, MD with his wife, his daughter, his son, his dog, and the cat, and he is truly grateful for all the opportunities God has provided, including this company. Right ResourcesAt Right Resources they support mission-driven tech companies that are passionate about the impact of their work by connecting them with highly sought-after technical talent. They bring the right people together in successful and productive work teams so that all their work will be good and useful for the world. They aim high, fail fast, laugh it off, and get it done!  

We had an amazing number of speakers at the 2021 Innovation Awards.  If you missed it, be sure to check out the full list of winners and register to check out a recording of the event at: https://www.fedhealthit.com/2021/05/2021-fedhealthit-innovation-award-winners-announced/.Here is a bite from Amir Capriles of Pegasystems, one of the event sponsors.Amir CaprilesAmir Capriles is a Vice President at Pegasystems, overseeing all client-facing functions serving the public sector business across the United States. Prior to Pegasystems, Amir held sales leadership roles at Salesforce.com and Microsoft Corporation, leading national teams responsible for enabling public sector and commercial enterprise customers in their Digital Transformation journey through the use of cloud based, intelligent business applications.Amir has over 30 years of experience in the information technology field, including sales, marketing, product development, implementation and support of large, transformational solutions across public and private sector; organizations ranging from small municipalities to large state and local governments and federal agencies as well as large enterprise commercial organizations.PegasystemsPega delivers innovative software that crushes business complexity. From increasing customer lifetime value to streamlining service to boosting efficiency, we help the world’s leading brands solve problems fast and transform for tomorrow. Pega clients make better decisions and get work done with real-time AI and intelligent automation. And, since 1983, we’ve built our scalable architecture and low-code platform to stay ahead of rapid change. Our solutions save people time, so our clients’ employees and customers can get back to what matters most. For more information, visit www.pega.com  

Does the Sentar/QOMPLX combined company’s future mean benefits for its customers?  The president of Sentar, Darren Kraabel goes over what to expect now and in the future of the Health IT industry.About Darren Kraabel, Sentar PresidentDarren joined the Sentar team in 2019 with over 25 years of experience leading large, mission-focused organizations. Since Darren joined in 2019, Sentar has grown substantially, positioning itself as a leader in cybersecurity. The company’s continued success led to a three-year sales growth of 105 percent in 2020, marking Sentar on the Inc. 5000 for the fourth year in a row. Moreover, the company has doubled the size of its team since 2017. Sentar’s recent successes include multiple award-winning initiatives, primarily for our work securing Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and Connected Medical Devices. Prior to joining Sentar, Darren was the Chief Technology & Innovation Officer for Jacobs, where he led their global digital transformation. Darren also previously served as a USAF Officer where he helped develop leading-edge combat capability for Special Forces units.About Sentar, a QOMPLX CompanySentar is one of the fastest-growing cyber intelligence, analytics and operations solutions providers focused on the National Security sector. Its cyber domain solutions blend expertise in cybersecurity, intelligence, analytics, and systems engineering into holistic solutions that combine these disciplines to deliver superior results to mission partners. Key clients include the Defense Health Agency, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, and the Missile Defense Agency.  Sentar has offices in Huntsville, Alabama; Charleston, South Carolina; Columbia, Maryland; and San Antonio, Texas. Visit www.sentar.com for more information. 

A Tech Talk with CMS was one of the highlights of the 2021 FedHealthIT Innovation Awards.  The 7th Annual Event recognizes and honors the Federal Health technology and consulting community by celebrating programs nominated and selected by their peers for DRIVING INNOVATION and RESULTS across the Department of Veterans Affairs, Military Health, Health and Human Services, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.Let’s hear an expert of what he had to say.Quentin Tyson  Quentin Tyson is the Chief Technology Officer in the Information System Group, Center for Clinical Standards and Quality within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services with over thirty years of IT experience of which twenty of those are in the federal government. Quentin received his Masters of Science in Telecommunication from Johns Hopkins University and Bachelors of Science in Information Technology with a focus on networking from University of Maryland Baltimore County. Quentin focuses on strategic thinking, identifying opportunities for growth, building partnerships and leaning out and improving the overall IT environment to help reduce cost, increasing efficiency and deliver IT services and technology to our partners and consumers. Quentin enjoys spending time with family and friends along with cycling, racquetball and 80’s kung fu movies.CMSThe Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is one of the largest purchasers of health care in the world. Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provide health care for one in four Americans.The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor. Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate.  Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com. 

As a 2021 Innovation Award Winner, VA OTI leads a coordinated leadership body focused on ensuring the Veteran journey is seamlessly enabled through interoperability of the systems that support them. Dr. Paul Tibbit’s provides an inside look at the Interoperability Maturity Model (IMM) that provides for measurement of the intangible concept of “Interoperability” between business entities and processes within VA.  Paul Tibbits, MD Executive Director, Office of Technical Integration, Department of Veterans Affairs. His Office is an Innovation Program Award winner for 2021. Dr. Paul Tibbits has over 35 years' experience leading change management, process re-engineering, and IT initiatives that support Federal health care programs. He developed and implemented two worldwide medical record systems in the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), restructured IT management, and regularly represented IT projects to senior government and private sector executives and Congress. He currently serves as Executive Director for OIT’s Office of Technical Integration (OTI), which works across OIT and with our VA business partners on critical modernization initiatives like Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM), VA Logistics Redesign (VALOR), Financial Management Business Transformation (FMBT), and the MISSION Act. Dr. Tibbits is board certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiology and is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology. He is also a Veteran, having served 26 years in the U.S. Navy, and was qualified in Undersea Medicine.

Dina Guerrero, a recent DHA Cyber Security Engineer joins us to discuss the most daunting cyber alignment challenges of migrating federal medical IT services into one electronic health record system. She dives deep on not only the obstacles but what to expect in the months to come. If you are traveling down this road, this is an interview you won’t want to miss.About Dina GuerroDina Guerrero has served as an IT and cybersecurity professional for over 24 yrs in the DoD military health community as a Government civilian and contractor. She has held various positions in the Service Component Medical IT community and Defense Health Agency providing sound and secure solutions through her combined experience in policy development, program management, and delivery of system and network design, deployment, and customer support.About SentarSentar is a cyber-intelligence company, applying analytics and systems engineering expertise to protect our national security and way of life by innovating, building, and securing mission-critical assets. Established in 1990, we have a long history of innovation. Today, we are one of the fastest-growing cyber-intelligence companies serving the National Security sector. Sentar has offices in Huntsville, Alabama; Charleston, South Carolina; Columbia, Maryland; and San Antonio, Texas. Visit www.sentar.com for more information.Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

The team focused on the Democratizing Data project is addressing the challenges of leveraging vast amounts of VHA clinical data to better understand, present, and respond to Veteran issues. Amanda Purnell, a Clinical Data Specialist for the Care and Transformational Initiatives Portfolio of the VHA Innovation Ecosystem discusses how excited the team is to win a 2021 Innovation Award.Amanda Purnell, Clinical Data SpecialistAmanda has been working as Clinical Data Specialist for the Care and Transformational Initiatives Portfolio of the VHA Innovation Ecosystem since October 2020. Prior to that year, she was the Senior Innovation Fellow, working on projects to democratize data to serve Veterans. She has also held roles as an Innovation Specialist within Innovators Network since October 2016. She loves to empower others, ignite curiosity, and wonder about what’s possible. Prior to her work in the VHA Innovation Ecosystem, she held leadership roles in implementing programs for prevention, integrative and complementary care, and health behavior change at the VA. She has extensive experience and training in facilitation and advancing learning in adults. She has a PhD in Counseling Psychology from The Ohio State University.VHA Innovation EcosystemVHA IE is the catalyst for enabling the discovery and spread of mission-driven health care innovation to advance care delivery and service that exceeds expectations, restores hope, and builds trust within the Veteran community. As part of VHA Office of Discovery, Education and Affiliate Networks, VHA IE leverages the collective power of innovation champions from across VA, academia, and industry to operationalize innovation in the Nation’s largest integrated health care system. Check out the full list of 2021 Innovation Award winners.

This podcast, featuring Joyce Hunter, Executive Director of the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Information (ICIT), discusses the cost of security breaches and the growing importance of cyber security in Healthcare and the steps that can be taken to secure not only industry information related to FedHealth but also that of individuals.About Joyce HunterJoyce Hunter is a strategic-doer and a philanthropreneur. She was appointed by President Barack Obama to the position of Deputy Chief Information Officer for Policy and Planning at the Department of Agriculture (2013-2017) and was the Acting Chief Information Officer from March 2016 to July 2016. Ms. Hunter demonstrates a strong ability to build and sustain relationships with public/private stakeholders, develop and lead innovative projects and inter-agency initiatives and was recently named by Security Magazine one of the most Influential People in Security for 2020.About ICITThe Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology (ICIT) is a non-profit, cybersecurity think tank providing objective, nonpartisan research, advisory, and education to legislative, commercial, and uppublic-sector cybersecurity stakeholders. Data Science Camp Inc. is a 501(c)3 corporation providing a design thinking project led subject matter specific camp utilizing data to tell a story and advocate for change.Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) are exploding across the world and here in the US private companies, states and even large counties are launching their own HIEs. Competition to provide the most information about patients to the largest number of providers has high stakes.  Companies and organizations looking to improve the customer experience with improved speed, security and reduced cost (as well as trying to become the biggest HIE on the block) will look to merge these existing HIEs. This inherently will cause massive confusion with the use of different patient information nomenclatures, categories and partner designations.  Today we speak with Kristin Brown of Tamr to try to clarify some of the confusion.Kristin Brown:Kristin Brown is a Federal Civilian Account Manager at Tamr, where she focuses on developing business for Tamr’s Civilian and SLED Government solutions Team. Kristin has over 15 years of strategic account and partner management experience. Before joining Tamr, Kristin has worked within the Federal market at numerous firms such as Varonis, Tenable, Vectra AI and Collibra.Tamr:Tamr and through its subsidiary, Tamr Government Solutions, is the leading data masteringcompany that accelerates data-driven business outcomes for large organizations. Public sector leaders like: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Army, U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy trust Tamr to manage their enterprise data as an asset.  Tamr's unique approach of using human-guided machine learning algorithms to accelerate data mastering projects lets the world's largest organizations enhance their data operations, rapidly activate latent data, and increase the velocity of business outcomes through data-driven insights. With a co-founding team led by Andy Palmer (founding CEO of Vertica) and Mike Stonebraker (Turing Award winner) and backed by investors including NEA and Google Ventures, Tamr is transforming how companies get value from their data.Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

This podcast with Faaruwq Muhammad, Project Execution Lead at SpinSys, discusses how the industry can support Military Health innovation, freeing those with the insight and capability to test, evolve and drive solutions by removing IT as a barrier, and the culture shift required to eliminate the need for IT from every aspect of development.Faaruwq Muhammad brings 25 years in DOD Health IT and Medical Device Lifecycle Management with 20 years of active duty in the US Army. He held Government positions in a DOD ACAT I MAIS program and DHA J6 Solution Delivery Division and a contractor position in DHA J5. He currently serves as a SpinSys Project Lead for the NIWC Other Transactional Procurement (OTP) program.  About SpinSys SpinSys is the premier small business systems integrator for cloud-based solutions, specializing in sustainment and modernization for the enterprise. SpinSys develops cloud-based systems integration solutions through AWS-certified expertise enhanced with proven technology and integration experience. SpinSys provides agile software development services using COTS solutions for the full lifecycle: requirements gathering and gap-analysis, design, development, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance. SpinSys sustains and modernizes legacy enterprise applications and systems. We also build solutions for big data, from a consolidation of data centers and networks to deploying hardened systems into cleared environments.SpinSys offers expertise in hardening systems to create an enhanced security posture, modernize complex legacy systems, and augment the enterprise IT department. SpinSys is in the business of creating time so our customers can follow their passions.Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

Dr. Keith Campbell discusses enabling semantic interoperability and High-Reliability Organization (HRO) principles through the Solor Project.  The Solor Project is a VA-sponsored initiative that seeks to improve patient safety through the improvement of data quality and harmonization of terminology standards.Dr. Keith Campbell, Director for Informatics Architecture at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA):Dr. Keith Campbell, an accomplished physician, informaticist, and computer scientist, is the founder of the Solor project, a US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)-initiated effort to tackle issues of healthcare data interoperability on a national level. Dr. Campbell developed the Solor project to address patient safety risk through its interoperability framework and help connect different health care terminology data in one integrated platform. His thought-leadership has led to dedicated triumphs in reducing errors through standardization of data, enhancing collaboration via an open-source ecosystem, improving safety by reducing reliance on costly and inefficient manual data and integration practices, and enabling seamless care for our veterans and beyond.The Veterans Health AdministrationThe Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,255 health care facilities, including 170 medical centers and 1,074 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

Is the health care industry ready for the future? MileMarker10 CEO Susan Sharer speaks with Kelly Rozumalski of Booz Allen Hamilton to discuss what Government and contact tracing companies can do, from securing laboratory data to the entire hospital infrastructure, to ensure data is secure.About Kelly RozumalskiKelly Rozumalski, Principal, Secure Connected Health, Booz Allen Hamilton, is a leader in Booz Allen’s secure connected health initiatives and health cybersecurity portfolio across the .gov platform. Based at the firm’s headquarters in McLean, Virginia, Kelly applies more than a decade of experience driving differentiated solutions to help clients identify and understand cyber risks, automate compliance for real-time insights into security weaknesses, and mitigate vulnerabilities to reduce cyber threats. With the rise of connected medical devices, Kelly and her team engage with clients and practitioners across the defense, federal, and commercial space to drive next-generation service offerings that help keep biological data secure. Supporting the development of an increasingly connected, resilient healthcare system, she takes a patient-focused approach to risk, remediation, and secure product development frameworks. In addition to her work in the .gov arena, Kelly leads cyber talent programs to help Booz Allen attract and retain the industry’s top talent. She has a bachelor of science degree from the University of Maryland.Booz Allen HamiltonFor more than 100 years, military, government, and business leaders have turned to Booz Allen Hamilton to solve their most complex problems. As a consulting firm with experts in analytics, digital, engineering, and cyber, we help organizations transform. We are a key partner on some of the most innovative programs for governments worldwide and trusted by their most sensitive agencies. We work shoulder to shoulder with clients, using a mission-first approach to choose the right strategy and technology to help them realize their vision. With global headquarters in McLean, Virginia and offices worldwide, our firm employs nearly 27,200 people and had revenue of $7.5 billion for the 12 months ending March 31, 2020. To learn more, visit BoozAllen.com. (NYSE: BAH).Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com. 

When it comes to the health industry there are platforms abound to help with all aspects of the healthcare space.  Today we speak to Francis Crump, a Salesforce Developer, who speaks on the impacts Salesforce is making in transforming the healthcare landscape. Francis CrumpFrancis Crump is a Salesforce developer with a specialization in Salesforce AI. Francis began to use Salesforce to help with his lab work back when he was working in the health industry. This interest in the software led to him pivoting and eventually making Salesforce his career.Cap GeminiCapgemini is a global leader in consulting, digital transformation, technology, and engineering services. The Group is at the forefront of innovation to address the entire breadth of clients’ opportunities in the evolving world of cloud, digital, and platforms. Building on its strong 50-year+ heritage and deep industry-specific expertise, Capgemini enables organizations to realize their business ambitions through an array of services from strategy to operations. Capgemini is driven by the conviction that the business value of technology comes from and through people. Today, it is a multicultural company of 270,000 team members in almost 50 countries. With Altran, the Group reported 2019 combined revenues of $17 billion.Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

Aaron Stowell, Vice President/CTO of CTAC discusses the value small businesses can make in the Federal cloud marketplace supporting agencies including HHS, and he shares insights on how small businesses can benefit and grow from the innovations coming out of the challenges they face.Aaron Stowell, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), leads CTAC’s strategic growth, cloud practice, and innovation initiatives. As CTO, Mr. Stowell explores emerging technologies and their application in the Federal marketplace. Joining CTAC in 2000, he was responsible for the adoption and implementation of countless open source and cloud technologies. Under his guidance, CTAC and its clients were successful early adopters of numerous game-changing technologies such as DevSecOps on AWS (when EC2 was still in beta) and enterprise multi-agency API-based paper-eliminating systems (when Ruby on Rails was still in beta). Mr. Stowell has supported CTAC projects and client programs that have won several Federal Health IT (FHIT) Innovation Awards and have been featured by major news outlets such as Good Morning America and Scientific American. About CTACCTAC, a privately-owned small business that is headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, has been a member of G2Xchange and a sponsor for Federal Health IT (FHIT) Innovation Awards and other events for more than five years. As a cloud services provider and IT consultancy, CTAC provides cutting-edge technology solutions to Federal, State, and local government agencies and proudly supports nearly a dozen Federal agencies including Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Consumer Product Safety Commision (CPSC), General Services Administration (GSA), and University of California and the VA. CTAC is a top-notch expert in web application development, content management, DevSecOps, cloud solutions, APIs, AI/ML, Drupal content management, IT and technology modernization initiatives, and business process solutions to government and private sector clients since 1993 and to HHS since 1999.Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

There is a lot of talk about disruptive technology in the government sector.  Tim Conway of NTT Data takes a look at what is making a big impact and what he feels are the technology imperatives essential to building a future government.Tim Conway:Tim Conway is and Executive Vice President and Group President, Public Sector for NTT DATA Services. Mr. Conway has been at the helm of NTT DATA’ Public Sector organization for over a decade.  Under Tim Conway’s leadership NTT DATA’s Public Sector organization has grown significantly to ~$1B business through organic growth, new contract awards and the acquisition of Dell Services (2016) Cognosante Consulting (2019) and NET eSolutions (NETE) (2019). Tim’s contributions to the Federal Government have been considerable over the years, but in 2020 his inspirational leadership across government positively impacted both the global pandemic response and the country. As a leader, Tim Conway viscerally embodies and imparts to his team NTT DATA’s core values of Client First, Teamwork and Foresight in support of various client missions across government.  NTT Data:NTT DATA delivers on our promise of Better IT, Better Government by providing solutions and meaningful outcomes to achieve mission success. We combine 50+ years of government experience with a lexicon of commercial lessons learned to deliver beyond expectations. Innovation, ingenuity and strong integrity to deliver services as promised have made NTT DATA a sought after resource across agencies from National Institute of Health to the Department of Justice and Defense. We excel in cybersecurity, data intelligence, infrastructure, application development and modernization, IoT, AI and emerging technologies.Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

In this podcast Sameer Kamani, a Solutions Architect at GitLab serving U.S. Public Sector agencies, applies lessons learned as he discusses the major shift in current DevOps to the DevSecOps methodology and how this new thinking will impact compliance and Authorization to Operate.Sameer is a Solutions Architect at GitLab serving U.S. Public Sector agencies. Sameer’s vast experience through multiple roles across agencies has provided him with a unique opportunity to learn and understand how digital transformation is disrupting the Public Sector. With a background in Artificial Intelligence, Sameer looks at business opportunities with a deeply analytical lens to advise appropriate solutions for Government agencies. Prior to joining GitLab, Sameer was an Application Security Solutions Architect; a role that provided the ability to gain deep insights into why security tends to be a difficult aspect of Software development.GitLabGitLab is a complete DevOps platform, delivered as a single application, fundamentally changing the way Development, Security, and Ops teams collaborate and build software. From idea to production, GitLab helps teams improve cycle time from weeks to minutes, reduce development costs and time to market while increasing developer productivity.Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com. 

Throughout the pandemic, every industry had their share of challenges.  Companies across the spectrum of industries moved mountains to keep the lights on, keep the economy going, and adjust to a dramatic change in how business got done.  Cindi Bassford of Guidehouse discusses how nothing was more impressive than frontline healthcare workers putting patients first as well as using innovation to get people the care they needed.   However, the industry faced bad actors that capitalized on the pandemic’s disruption with cybercriminals exploiting the stresses of the healthcare system for personal gain.  She suggests that we have the tools to prevent these types of attacks, but it means focusing and committing to their implementation – the time and money spent upfront are far less than the cost to clean it up.Thank you!CINDI BASSFORD:Cindi Bassford PMP, CISA, CISSP, LSSYB, is a partner at Guidehouse working in the areas of cybersecurity, health policy, and system integration. She has more than 20 years of cybersecurity experience working with federal and commercial healthcare organizations. She is a member of the HHS 405D Task Force and a recent winner of FedHealthIT’s 2020 Leading for Impact, Women in Leadership Award.GUIDEHOUSE:Guidehouse is a leading global provider of consulting services to the public and commercial markets with broad capabilities in management, technology, and risk consulting. Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

In early June of last year, HHS announced new laboratory data reporting guidance for COVID-19, citing LOINC In Vitro Diagnostic (LIVD) as the authoritative source of coding for COVID-19 testing. With the number of daily COVID-19 tests continuing to go up in the United States, Dr. Greg Pappas, Associate Director for National Device Surveillance, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food & Drug Administration discusses how the LIVD catalog improved public health reporting for COVID-19 test results.About Greg PappasAs the Associate Director for National Device Surveillance at FDA, Dr. Pappas has played a key role in the establishment of several FDA initiatives, including the Biologics Effectiveness and Safety System (BEST) and the National Evaluation System for health Technology (NEST). Throughout Mr. Pappsas' his career, he has developed innovative partnerships with a broad set of stakeholders including other government agencies, industry, researchers, patient groups, and clinical specialty societies.Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

In this episode, MileMarker10’s Megan Murray speaks with Art delaCruz, President and COO of Team Rubicon. Listen in as they discuss how Team Rubicon successfully mobilized to respond to COVID-19, the importance of building to scale, and how they leveraged their enterprise management system and digital transformation to "get to yes" and broaden their impact.Art delCruz, President and Chief Operation Officer, Team Rubicon:Art delaCruz is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Team Rubicon, a national non-profit that serves communities by mobilizing veterans to continue their service, leveraging their skills and experience to help people prepare, respond, and recover from disasters and humanitarian crises. Art is a proud veteran that served for 22 years as a Naval Officer after graduating from the United States Naval Academy. He commanded a Navy strike-fighter squadron, served as a Top Gun instructor, and made six combat deployments. Other notable tours included selection as a Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellow (served at McKinsey & Co), and as a strategy lead at the US Special Operations Command.Team Rubicon:Team Rubicon serves communities by mobilizing veterans to continue their service by leveraging their skills and experience to help people prepare, respond, and recover from disasters and humanitarian crises. Founded following the Haiti earthquake in 2010, the organization has grown to over 140,000 volunteers across the United States and has launched over 800 operations both domestically and internationally. Amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, Team Rubicon has not only pivoted to be able to continue to deliver disaster response and rebuild services in core mission areas but has also expanded their scope of missions to meet community needs brought about by COVID.Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

MileMarker10 CEO Susan Sharer sits down virtually with Rob Wilkins, retired US Air Force Master Sergeant and member of the President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition (PCSFN).  Rob shares his fitness tips and how to stay motivated to get in your best shape, especially during National Fitness Month (May 2021).Honorary, Chairman, MileMarker10 Virtual 5KThe Honorable Rob Wilkins, is a two-term Presidential appointee to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition (PCSFN), a retired US Air Force Master Sergeant, and a fitness expert. Some of his key military assignments included serving on the staff of The Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) and Legislative Liaison Office, Secretary of the Air Force. Wilkins is an avid advocate for military veterans and lifetime member of the Air Force Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), American Legion, and AMVETS. In addition, he is the President of Rolling Thunder, Washington, DC, Inc., President of the RedCon1 Foundation, the Senior Military Editor for Muscle & Fitness, and a Military Evangelist at Sightline Media Group.Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

Mary Quinn of Leidos will discuss how the systems and products that people use most easily and effectively incorporate human factors into their designs. She will explain the three main components of human-centered design, the ideal scenario for human-system integration, and methods used to validate success.Mary Quinn, Ph.D., is a Leidos Technical Fellow and nationally recognized expert in the social and behavioral sciences with more than 30 years of experience. Her work currently focuses on behavioral applications for intelligence exploitation, human-machine teaming, human systems integration, human-centered design, training, and upskilling. Mary has delivered more than 200 major presentations and keynote addresses at national and international conferences, and written more than 80 publications in peer-reviewed journals, three books, and 27 monographs.At Leidos, we believe today’s complex health challenges call for revolutionary problem-solving. Our unique position as a technology company with deep health and life sciences expertise equips us to transform patient care, as well as provider and payer operations, in both commercial and government health organizations. From IT and systems integration to life sciences, managed health services, and clinical solutions and services, Leidos charts the course for the future of health. Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

MileMarker10’s Megan Murray speaks with Blake Hogan, CEO of Bunker Labs, to discuss his journey from Marine to entrepreneur, debunk common misconceptions, and explore how the Federal IT Community can engage with military-connected entrepreneurs.Blake Hogan is a Marine Corps Veteran and natural dot connector. He is passionate about entrepreneurship and helping fellow veterans and their spouses launch and grow successful companies. His first company led him to co-found Bunker Labs Austin and Nashville after experiencing the challenges of growing a professional network after leaving active duty. Bunker Labs, now a national not-for-profit, helps the military-connected community launch and grow businesses across the country. Now serving as CEO, Blake’s goal is to ensure that the American dream can be a reality for the military-connected community and, in doing so, build a truly inclusive economy. Blake is also the co-founder of a safety product company, BreakAway Safety Solutions, and a recent George W. Bush Institute Scholar in the Stand-To Veterans Leadership Program.Bunker Labs is a national nonprofit organization with the mission of ensuring that the military-connected community has the network, tools, and opportunities they need to start successful ventures. We accomplish our mission by inspiring members of the military community to see their entrepreneurial potential. We equip our program participants with practical tools, insights, experts, and resources to accelerate their success, and we connect entrepreneurs with a robust community and diverse, relevant networks.

Last year, the Veteran’s Administration (VA) began its journey to becoming a High-Reliability Organization or HRO. Nuclear power and aviation are examples of industries that have applied HRO principles to achieve minimal errors, despite highly hazardous and unpredictable conditions.Today, we are speaking with Dr. Himanshu Singh, the Chief Health Informatics Officer at DSS, Inc., more about this topic. Dr. Singh has had an 18-year career at the Department of Veterans Affairs with his last 8 years in leadership roles. His most recent assignment was the COO/Associate Director at both the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and West Palm Beach VA.  The Dr. will discuss how, Thanks to intelligent software and data visualization solutions, it is possible for the VA to achieve HRO mission, and provide the best quality of care for Veterans. Dr. Himanshu Singh:Dr. Himanshu Singh, the Chief Health Informatics Officer at DSS, Inc. He has had an 18-year career at the Department of Veterans Affairs with his last 8 years in leadership roles. His most recent assignment was the COO/Associate Director at both the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and West Palm Beach VA.Dr. Singh joined the Department of Veterans Affairs with a background in Medicine and technology in 2001.  He began his VA Career in Clinical Informatics. He has served in several leadership roles including Assistant Director at the Ralph H Johnson VAMC, Acting Associate Director at the Ralph H. Johnson VAMC, Acting Associate Director at the Columbia VAMC.DSS, INC.:Trusted by the Department of Veteran Affairs for 30 years, DSS deploys innovative solutions that improve care quality and delivery for our Veterans.DSS assists the VA in meeting top initiatives, changing regulatory requirements, and implementing enhanced business processes that support clinical, financial, logistical and administrative objectives, for better Veteran outcomes.Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

In a recent event, Leading for Impact Series: Driving Organizational Resiliency, Scott Blackburn, Partner McKinsey & Company, Former Chief Information Officer, Department of Veterans Affairs; spoke on the current state of the Department of the Veterans Affairs and looked to the future.About Scott BlackburnScott Blackburn is a Partner at McKinsey & Company focusing on the Public Sector, health care, technology, large-scale transformation, and capability building. He focuses on the Veteran space – both making McKinsey more Veteran-friendly and helping Veteran non-profits. Scott returned to McKinsey after leading transformation efforts at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Federal Government’s 2nd largest agency, from 2014-2018 serving in a variety of roles to include Interim Deputy Secretary (COO) and Chief Information Officer. During his tenure at the VA, Veteran trust in VA improved from 47% to 70%+ as he focused on customer experience, improving access and timeliness of care and services, improving efficiency/effectiveness of operations, modernizing through technology (to include digital experience, Electronic Health Records, and technology infrastructure), improving the employee experience, and expanding strategic partnerships (with private sector, non-profits, Department of Defense, states, other Government agencies and Veteran Service Organizations).About McKinsey & CompanyMcKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm. They are the trusted advisor to the world’s leading businesses, governments, and institutions. The company works with leading organizations across the private, public and social sectors. Their scale, scope, and knowledge allow them to address problems that no one else can. They have deep functional and industry expertise as well as the breadth of geographical reach. They are passionate about taking on immense challenges that matter to their clients and, often, to the world. The company works with its clients as they do with their colleagues. They build their capabilities and leadership skills at every level and every opportunity. They do this to help build internal support, get to real issues, and reach practical recommendations. They bring out the capabilities of clients to fully participate in the process and lead the ongoing work.Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

In this edition of Keeping IT Brief, Savan Group CEO Veeral Majmudar and CTO Dan Albarran sit down with G2Xchange President Alexa Tsui to discuss a wide variety of Federal emerging technology topics including: Data Information Management; Data Fracking, Artificial Intelligence vs. Machine Learning vs. Natural Language Processing; Cryptocurrency; and Building Data Information Models. “In our world of data information management, we often see a rush to use emerging technology as ‘the savior’ and while it can absolutely transform an organziation, the value of emerging technology — like AI or RPA — is that they’re only effective if the data you are using is good.” – Veeral Majmudar“Organizations typically struggle to understand their unstructured data like videos, texts, e-mails, images and documents…AI and NLP are the keys to unlocking unstructured data, what I commonly refer to as data fracking.” – Dan AlbarranVeeral Majmudar is the Founder, President, and CEO of Savan Group, an industry-leading data and information management consulting firm that provides public sector and commercial clients with services and solutions with a focus on information governance, data science, data security and cyber, and mission support services. Veeral is an active participant in public forums, having spoken on issues such as information management, data strategy, and innovation in the public sector; moreover, he previously served as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EiR) for Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business.As the Chief Technology Officer for Savan Group, Dan Albarran directs the company’s strategic direction, development, and future growth for IT services. He works closely with Savan Group’s Leadership Team and employees to grow the company using data and information-centric solutions and thought leadership. Furthermore, he collaborates with all project teams to take full advantage of technology, promote the firm’s technical capabilities, and expand its brand to clients and partners. Dan holds multiple professional certifications and earned a B.S. degree in Business Administration from the University of Maryland.Savan Group is a data and information consulting firm with customer-focused expertise in information governance, data science, cyber and data security, and mission support services and solutions. Through its capabilities, the firm’s focus is on helping it clients navigate the world of data and information challenges and risks by rethinking how agencies are identifying, controlling, organizing, and leveraging data and information to inform decisions and drive digital transformation.

During a recent event, Leading for Impact Series: Driving Organizational Resiliency, Dr. Barclay Butler, Assistant Director for Management and the Component Acquisition Executive, Defense Health Agency, discussed facing challenges as an organization and how industry partners can help. About Barclay ButlerBarclay P. Butler, Ph.D. is the Assistant Director for Management and the Component Acquisition Executive, Defense Health Agency. Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

This week’s podcast with Jerry Kurtz, the Executive Vice President of Insights and Data at Capgemini, looks at how AI can help in the healthcare industry.  From helping predict patient drug adherence to detecting diseases in the food supply, he discusses the best way to approach what he calls “low-hanging fruit.”   Jerry Kurtz, EVP  Insights & Data – North America - CapgeminiJerry has over 30 years of management consulting experience at PwC, IBM, Infosys, and Bridgestone.  Jerry has worked primarily in the manufacturing sector and has extensive cross-industry leadership experience in areas such Big Data & Analytics, AI, and IoT. Prior to joining Capgemini, Jerry ran Infosys Consulting’s North America business unit. He also managed IBM’s Big Data, Analytics, and AI services business across all industries in North America, where he successfully launched IBM’s global offerings in the area of Analytics for the Internet of Things (IoT). Capgemini is a global leader in consulting, digital transformation, technology and engineering  services. The Group is at the forefront of innovation to address the entire breadth of clients’ opportunities in the evolving world of cloud, digital and platforms. Building on its strong 50-year+ heritage and deep industry-specific expertise, Capgemini enables organizations to realize their business ambitions through an array of services from strategy to operations. Capgemini is driven by the conviction that the business value of technology comes from and through people. Today, it is a multicultural company of 270,000 team members in almost 50 countries. With Altran, the Group reported 2019 combined revenues of €17billion.Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

In this edition of Keeping IT Brief, Shelby Switzer discusses efforts at CMS focused on API strategy and implementation, modernizing Medicare payment modernization and beneficiary APIs; and considering end users, developers and providers in point of care.About Shelby SwitzerShelby Switzer is a software engineer with the US Digital Service at the Department of Health and Human Services. As a conference organizer, Code for America volunteer, and civic technologist, Shelby has worked in community organizing, open source software, and technology activism across the US for over 8 years. Before joining USDS, Shelby led the API and integration team at Healthify, a healthcare company bridging the gap between healthcare and social services. Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

Von Borg of Leidos discusses the ASACS program, which works with military branches and the community to identify adolescents in need of counseling services. ASACS designs and implements school, and community, based programs that provide confidential counseling, prevention education, and support to students in grades 6–12.About Von F. BorgDuring his 20 years with Leidos, Von has managed and supervised adolescent and family counseling services at 60 military sites in Europe and Asia/Pacific for the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps contracts with the ASACS program. Von has extensive experience supporting military communities and families overseas as a clinical supervisor and counselor.About LeidosLeidos believes today’s complex health challenges call for revolutionary problem-solving. Its unique position as a technology company with deep health and life sciences expertise equips Leidos to transform patient care, as well as provider and payer operations, in both commercial and government health organizations. From IT and systems integration to life sciences, managed health services, and clinical solutions and services, Leidos charts the course for the future of health.Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

Dr. Chakib Chraibi, Chief Data Scientist and Acting Associate Director, Office of Data Services at NTIS shares his perspective on the success and challenges of artificial intelligence (AI) and other innovative technologies used within the Government space and shares a peek into the future in this very in-depth two-part interview.About Dr. Chakib ChraibiChakib Chraibi is Chief Data Scientist and Acting Associate Director, Office of Data Services at NTIS. He provides data science and computer science assistance and expertise to several Governmental agencies in harnessing emerging and innovative technologies to achieve mission outcome and deliver data-driven solutions within the NTIS framework. His professional experience includes industrial, academic and Governmental experiences (Software Engineer, Professor/Chair/Dean, Data Scientist). About NTISNTIS, the National Technical Information Service, is a Federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce with the mission of providing innovative data services to Federal agencies to advance their Federal data priorities, enable operational excellence, and achieve mission outcomes.Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

Dr. Chakib Chraibi, Chief Data Scientist and Acting Associate Director, Office of Data Services at NTIS shares his perspective on the success and challenges of artificial intelligence (AI) and other innovative technologies used within the Government space and shares a peek into the future in this very in-depth two-part interview.About Dr. Chakib ChraibiChakib Chraibi is Chief Data Scientist and Acting Associate Director, Office of Data Services at NTIS. He provides data science and computer science assistance and expertise to several Governmental agencies in harnessing emerging and innovative technologies to achieve mission outcome and deliver data-driven solutions within the NTIS framework. His professional experience includes industrial, academic and Governmental experiences (Software Engineer, Professor/Chair/Dean, Data Scientist). About NTISNTIS, the National Technical Information Service, is a Federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce with the mission of providing innovative data services to Federal agencies to advance their Federal data priorities, enable operational excellence, and achieve mission outcomes.Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

Karsten Russell-Wood and Cindy Gaines of Philips discuss systems of telehealth across care venues, from hospital to home, and focus on transitions of care and how things have changed since the early days of the pandemic. They also discuss how the community can help shape the future of telehealth.About Karsten Russell-Wood, Executive Director, Portfolio Management, PhilipsKarsten Russell-Wood is a Healthcare marketing professional with over 20 years of global product development and strategy experience. He currently serves as the Global Portfolio Marketing Leader for the Connected Care Post Acute and Home Cluster of Philips Healthcare. He is responsible for linking the innovations of Philip’s product teams to the prospect and customer-focused commercial operations of the business unit to build the Philips global brand, create consumer awareness, dominate thought leadership, and drive customer preference for the solutions through all channels, every day.  About Cindy Gaines, Chief Nursing Officer and Clinical Leader, Population Health, PhilipsCindy Gaines has over 28 years of Healthcare experience, splitting this time between quality and operations across the continuum. Gaines was the chief operating officer and president of administration for a health system in Kalamazoo, Michigan. During her career, Cindy led the integration of patient care across the care continuum and integrated program requirements of third-party payers including pay-for-performance criteria to maximize clinical, operational, and financial initiatives. Gaines also championed physician quality alignment, attained PCMH designation and CPC+ approval for primary care sites, and managed integration activities for growing organizations. About PhilipsPhilips is a leading health technology company focused on improving people’s health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips is leveraging radical innovation to break down the walls between doctors and patients, turning homes and Veteran centers into virtual exam rooms, and improving workflows for soldiers from battlefield to bedside. Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

During our recent Disruptive Tech Summit, Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Acting Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology and Chief Information Officer, Dominic Cussatt, shared an update on VA’s digital transformation strategy. Listen in to hear how VA is adapting and utilizing disruptive technologies as a force multiplier to scale and meet the needs of today’s Veterans through IT modernization, strategic sourcing, DevSecOps, and more!About Dominic CussattMr. Dominic Cussatt serves as Acting Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology and Chief Information Officer. Mr. Cussatt oversees the day-to-day activities of VA’s $4 billion IT budget and more than 16,000 Government and contract personnel to ensure that VA has the IT tools and services needed to support our Nation’s Veterans.About VA OIT The mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of Information and Technology (OIT) is to collaborate with their business partners to create the best experience for all Veterans.Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

Swathi Young is an international keynote speaker, blogger, community builder and Chief Technology Officer who recently co-authored the AI Playbook, a framework of implementing AI solutions for the Federal Government. She is the founder of DC Emerging Technologies, a community of 2000+ members who meet regularly to discuss the trends in disruptive technologies. Here Swathi discusses What the AI Playbook is; how stakeholders in Federal Government use it; the top trends in AI in Federal Health IT; and provides advice to stakeholders thinking about implementing an AI solution.About Swathi YoungSwathi Young is an international keynote speaker, blogger, community-builder and Chief Technology Officer of Integrity Management Services Inc., a Healthcare services company, where she is leading innovative AI solutions for clients. In her 20+ years of technology experience, she has led over 100+ projects globally - Belgium, India and the United States across a number of Fortune 100 companies like GE and Oracle. Swathi is passionate about using cutting edge, artificial intelligence technologies to increase the performance of organizations. She believes that the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and humanities is important to focus on as we lay the foundation of AI applications for future generations. She is the Washington DC Ambassador for Women in AI, an international  non-profit organization whose goal is to increase diversity in the field of AI. She is also the founder of DC Emerging Technologies, a community of 2000+ members who meet regularly to discuss trends in disruptive technologies. She recently co-authored the AI Playbook - a framework of implementing AI solutions for the Federal Government.Integrity Management Services, Inc.Integrity Management Services, Inc. (IntegrityM) is a Certified Women Owned Small Business, CMMI Level 3 appraised, ISO 9001:2015 certified, and FISMA compliant organization. IntegrityM was created to support the program integrity efforts of Federal and state Government programs, as well as private sector organizations. IntegrityM provides experience and expertise to these government programs and private businesses supporting them. Results are achieved through analysis and support services such as, statistical and data analysis, compliance, audit, investigation, medical review, outreach and education, and software solutions. Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

This podcast with former VA CIO LaVerne Council discusses what the Federal community needs to know about IT transformation and developing an effective IT strategy in the Federal Government with a view on the responsibility of the CIO to communicate, educate, and lead the organization through IT transformation; setting the tone and providing the air cover to enable transformation from the Sec/Dep Sec; and acquisition and procurement policies and practices to enable swift progress. About LaVerne CouncilAs Chief Executive Officer of Emerald One, LLC, Dr. LaVerne H. Council leads executives and their organizations through transformation. Emerald One is the culmination of her 35+ years of experience in global operations, information technology, and transformational executive leadership. LaVerne’s work as a global executive with organizations like Johnson & Johnson; Dell, Inc.; the Department of Veterans Affairs; and Ernst & Young gives her a unique perspective on the opportunities and challenges faced by both CxO executives and their employees. Among her numerous awards is the Meritorious Service Award, the highest honor awarded to any civilian Federal employee. Emerald One, LLCExecutive and senior leaders need the skills, practices, and know-how to prepare for an everchanging business and technology landscape. Emerald One’s Technology Strategy Development and Execution, Resource Value Maximization, and Strategic Digital Design services are powered by our Elements of Brilliance™ methodology and unlock your full potential and prepare you for a world of unrelenting change.Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

 During our recent Disruptive Tech Summit, Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Acting Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology and Chief Information Officer, Dominic Cussatt, shared an update on VA’s digital transformation strategy. Listen in to hear how VA is adapting and utilizing disruptive technologies as a force multiplier to scale and meet the needs of today’s Veterans through IT modernization, strategic sourcing, DevSecOps, and more! About Dominic CussattMr. Dominic Cussatt serves as Acting Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology and Chief Information Officer. Mr. Cussatt oversees the day-to-day activities of VA’s $4 billion IT budget and more than 16,000 Government and contract personnel to ensure that VA has the IT tools and services needed to support our Nation’s Veterans.About VA OIT The mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs' Office of Information and Technology (OIT) is to collaborate with their business partners to create the best experience for all Veterans. You can check out more podcasts here.

This podcast with two members of the Digital Services Coalition: Rohan Bhobe, CEO of Nava, and Natalie Kurz, Director of UX at Flexion, shares experiences and recommendations for running a successful Federal digital services procurement that works for Government, users, and vendors alike.About Natalie KurzNatalie Kurz has spent the last 20 years helping to elevate digital experiences from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Her unique skill set bridges the gap between strategy and execution, manager and designer, analytical and creative thinker. She's led a wide breadth of projects for a slew of industries, most notably working on applications, mobile experiences, and product development for the healthcare, tourism, government, financial, and nonprofit sectors (including work for Audi, Canon, State Farm, Miller-Coors, Purina, Express-Scripts, and Hunter Douglas). Most recently, she's been dedicated to civic tech, spending 3.5 years as an innovation fellow at the CFPB and leading projects for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, GSA, and the U.S. Tax Court as the Director of UX at Flexion Inc. About Flexion Flexion is an agile software development and staffing company with nearly 25 years of experience delivering excellence to its clients. They leverage lean, agile principles to build iterative, high-quality software solutions that are innovative, user-friendly, and flexible. Their culture is built on autonomy, trust, collaboration, and transparency—believing that successful delivery starts with hiring the right team and cultivating a strong people-first culture. By using an agile, human-centered design mindset, they transform digital technology to create powerful experiences for all.About Rohan BhobeRohan Bhobe is the CEO and co-founder of Nava Public Benefit Corporation, a digital services firm that is working to make government services simple, effective, and accessible to all. Nava emerged from the effort to rebuild HealthCare.gov after it's troubled launch, and exists to address some of the most complex digital service challenges in the public sector. Rohan has built teams that have launched major new legislation with modern user experiences, eliminated deep backlogs on programs constrained by legacy systems, and transformed agency operations to be significantly more adaptable and resilient in the face of change and unexpected shocks. He is an engineer by training and is passionate about improving public sector digital services, particularly for vulnerable populations.About Nava Nava is a public benefit corporation working to make government services simple, effective, and accessible to all. Nava emerged from the effort to rebuild HealthCare.gov after it's troubled launch, and exists to address some of the most complex challenges in the public sector. Their expert staff partner with government teams to think creatively and holistically about what we build: service experiences that are simple and accessible to users, programs that are effective at producing the intended outcomes for populations they serve, and agencies that are adaptable to a world of continuous change.About the Digital Services Coalition Nava and Flexion are founding members of the Digital Services Coalition, a collection of 16 technology and design firms that aim to bring the innovation and agility that’s become the backbone of commercial digital services to the Government.Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

During this podcast with Harry Greenspun, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Partner at Guidehouse he discusses upcoming Industry trends and what strategies businesses should look to embrace as Government moves forward with Healthcare missions, including digital health; the strong getting stronger; risk and vulnerability in the virtual world.About Dr. Harry GreenspunHarry Greenspun, MD, is the Chief Medical Officer and a partner at Guidehouse, a global provider of consulting services. He works with Government and commercial clients to transform their business processes and models, as well as achieve clinical and research excellence. He was formerly Chief Medical Officer at Dell Inc. and led the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions.About GuidehouseGuidehouse is a leading global provider of consulting services to the public and commercial markets with broad capabilities in management, technology, and risk consulting. Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

In this episode of Keeping IT Brief, Susan Sharer speaks to Raymond Holder, the executive strategist and health technology leader, currently serving as Principal, U.S. Federal Healthcare at Amazon Web Services (AWS). Mr. Holder discusses how cloud technologies are helping Government agencies today.“During the COVID-19 outbreak, one telehealth agency saw an increase of 800 percent in telehealth business,” according to Mr. Holder. The digital front door is key. Listen as he and Susan dig deep into the discussion.About Raymond Holder Raymond Holder is an executive strategist and health technology leader, currently serving as Principal, U.S. Federal Healthcare at Amazon Web Services (AWS). Prior to AWS, Ray was Vice President of Business Development at Perspecta, a $4.3B technology services company.  Earlier, Ray spent a decade in Europe, where his work with healthcare leaders and foreign nationals across Europe, Middle East and Africa led to three Military Healthcare Innovation awards. Ray is a Fellow of the American Council for Technology - Industry Advisory Council, a Professional of the Academy of Healthcare Management, and currently volunteers on the boards of government, technology, and Veterans support organizations in the Washington, DC area. Follow him on Twitter: @realRayHolderAbout AWSGovernment, education, and nonprofits face unique challenges to accomplish complex missions with limited resources. Public sector organizations turn to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud to serve citizens more effectively, accelerate scientific breakthroughs, reskill talent, attract the brightest minds, and put more time, effort, and resources into their missions.Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.