Keeping IT Brief: The Power Perspective

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.

CMS

The 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. 

Follow the show on your favorite podcast platform, and discover more conversations with the FORUM Media Network at GovForum Podcasts. 

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.

Follow the show on your favorite podcast platform, and discover more conversations with the FORUM Media Network at GovForum Podcasts. 

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 Specialist

Amanda 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 Ecosystem

VHA 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.

Follow the show on your favorite podcast platform, and discover more conversations with the FORUM Media Network at GovForum Podcasts. 

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 Guerro

Dina 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 Sentar

Sentar 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.

Follow the show on your favorite podcast platform, and discover more conversations with the FORUM Media Network at GovForum Podcasts. 

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 Hunter

Joyce 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 ICIT

The 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.

Follow the show on your favorite podcast platform, and discover more conversations with the FORUM Media Network at GovForum Podcasts. 

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 mastering
company 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.

Follow the show on your favorite podcast platform, and discover more conversations with the FORUM Media Network at GovForum Podcasts. 

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.

Follow the show on your favorite podcast platform, and discover more conversations with the FORUM Media Network at GovForum Podcasts. 

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 Administration

The 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.

Follow the show on your favorite podcast platform, and discover more conversations with the FORUM Media Network at GovForum Podcasts. 

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 Rozumalski

Kelly 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 Hamilton

For 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.

 

Follow the show on your favorite podcast platform, and discover more conversations with the FORUM Media Network at GovForum Podcasts. 

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 Crump

Francis 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 Gemini

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 $17 billion.

Check out our other podcasts at FedHealthIT.com.

Follow the show on your favorite podcast platform, and discover more conversations with the FORUM Media Network at GovForum Podcasts.