Federal Position Descriptions
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Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services
Responsibility
Management Scope

The CMS has more than 6,000 employees; approximately 4,000 are based at its headquarters in Woodlawn, Maryland. The remaining employees are located in the Hubert H. Humphrey building in Washington, D.C., or at one of 10 regional offices and various field offices throughout the United States. The number of direct reports to the Administrator is between 30-50 employees.
CMS spending in 2015 was more than $900 billion, and 2016 spending is likely to exceed $1 trillion. Medicare and Medicaid are the largest programs in the federal government and are responsible for the provision of health insurance to more than 100 million Americans.

Primary Responsibilities

• Ensures that CMS carries out its mission of:
• Making available effective, up-to-date health care coverage and promoting quality care for beneficiaries
• Administering oversight of the Medicare Program and the federal portion of the Medicaid Program
• Ensuring that program beneficiaries are aware of the services for which they are eligible and that those services are accessible and of high quality.
• Developing health and safety standards for providers of health care services authorized by Medicare and Medicaid legislation
• Administering the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and several other health-related programs
• Directs the planning, coordination and implementation of the programs under Titles XI, XVIII, XIX, and XXI of the Social Security Act and related statutes, as amended, and directs the development of effective relationships between these programs and private and federally supported health-related programs

Strategic Goals and Priorities
[Depends on the policy priorities of the administration.]
Requirements

• Proven ability and experience leading and managing a large and complex enterprise
• Understanding of core services, programs and initiatives delivered by CMS
• Ability to articulate and communicate the president’s vision for the American health care system to stakeholders and the American public
• Extensive knowledge of insurance programs

Competencies

• Demonstrated ability to resolve conflicts within a large organization
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills

Past Appointments
  • Andrew “Andy” Slavitt (2015-2017) (acting) – group executive vice president of Optum; CEO for Optum Insight; Founder and CEO of Health Allies.
  • Marilyn Tavenner (2011-2015; acting 2011-2013) – principal Deputy Administrator of CMS; secretary of health & human services for the State of Virginia; group president of outpatient services for the Hospital Corporation of America.
  • Donald M. Berwick (2010-2011) (acting) – president and chief executive officer of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement; vice president of quality improvement for the Harvard Community Health Plan.
AGENCY

Department of Health and Human Services

Mission: To enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans by providing effective health and human services and fostering advances in medicine, public health and social services.

COMPENSATION

Level IV $155,500 (5 U.S.C. § 5315)1

REPORTS TO

Secretary of Health and Human Services; possibly reports to the Deputy Secretary, depending on organization of department

SENATE COMMITTEE

Finance

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Footnote
  1. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (Public Law 115-31, May 5, 2017), contains a provision that continues the freeze on the payable pay rates for certain senior political officials at 2013 levels during calendar year 2017.
This position description was created with the help of Russell Reynolds Associates, a global executive search firm.
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