CMS Administrator Seema Verma names new leadership team to lead value-based transformation

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced multiple high-level appointments and promotions that officials said will focus on value-based care and coverage initiatives, among other priorities. 

McKinsey & Company senior partner and 2017 Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Paul Mango has been named chief of staff and chief principal deputy administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS Administrator Seema Verma announced Tuesday.

"I have known Paul for more than 10 years and look forward to having his support as we deliver on President Trump's agenda and execute on our strategy on behalf of the American people," Verma said.

Verma also promoted Deputy Chief of Staff Brady Brookes to a concurrent role as deputy administrator. Brady will continue to oversee day-to-day operations and provide strategic counsel to the Office of the Administrator, Verma said.

Brady joined CMS in 2017 as deputy chief of staff after serving as then-Governor Mike Pence's legislative director. 

"President Trump and Secretary Azar have laid out an ambitious agenda to strengthen the Medicare and Medicaid programs for the millions of Americans they serve. This is a big responsibility and my team will have a critical role to play to help accomplish these goals," said Verma, who has headed the agency since March 2017. 

Mango has 30 years of experience in healthcare. At McKinsey & Company he held executive positions within their U.S. and global healthcare practices and headed McKinsey's U.S. Center for Health Reform. He is a veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division and is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and Harvard Business School.

In addition, Chris Traylor, who has led consulting in hospital operations and finance for Advanced Perspectives Group, has joined the agency as deputy administrator for strategic initiatives. 

Traylor comes to CMS with over 26 years of public sector service in healthcare and social services. In 2016 he retired as the executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

Under his tenure as the state's Medicaid director, Texas developed health passports for children in foster care and also expanded a managed model of care that integrated acute and long-term care services. 

Traylor's additional experience in managed care puts him at the forefront of legislative innovation, reform, and regulation, Verma said.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said, "The new additions to the team will help CMS build on its progress on HHS priorities, including value-based transformation and increasing consumer choice for healthcare coverage." 

Last week, Azar named Adam Boehler, the director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, as senior advisor for value-based transformation and innovation. In this role, Boehler will work on policies to shift healthcare reimbursement away from fee-for-service toward innovative models that tie quality of care to payment.