Office of Program Operations and Local Engagement

Nancy O’Connor, Director
Tammy McCloy, Acting Deputy Director of Drug and Health Plan Operations
Gregory Dill, Deputy Director for Innovation and Financial Management
John Hammarlund, Deputy Director for Local Engagement and Administration
Ray Hurd, Deputy Director for Strategy and Business Operations

Functional Statement

• Serves as the senior level point of contact within each Region for counterparts in CMS, Department leadership (including the HHS Regional Director), as well as external stakeholders. Creates and maintains regional location cohesion and leads regional efforts to improve employee engagement.
• Responsible for consistently and effectively implementing the Agency’s local outreach strategy and messaging.
• Serves as the regional lead for environmental scanning and issue identification, systematically providing a regional perspective in advising the Office of the Administrator on national initiatives and their impact on program beneficiaries, consumers, key partners, and major constituents.
• Responsible for providing the regional voice in the Agency rural health strategy, advising on effective goals, tactics, and success metrics, and implementing the strategy at a local level.
• Serves as the regional focal point for emergency response management for employees in regional locations as well as coordinating the local response to emergencies in accordance with Agency Continuity of Operations, Disaster Recovery, and Emergency Response and Preparedness Operations protocols.
• Implements national policies and procedures to support and assure appropriate State implementation of the rules and processes governing group and individual health insurance markets and the sale of health insurance policies that supplement Medicare coverage.
• Provides Medicare health and drug plans with technical assistance to comply with program requirements, monitoring plan compliance with applicable statutes, regulations, and sub-regulatory guidance.
• Serves as the regional partner in the monitoring and oversight of Qualified Health Plans and Stand-Alone Dental Plans operating in the federally-facilitated exchanges.
• Responds, handles and oversees resolution of inquiries and casework concerning Medicare beneficiary and federally-facilitated exchange consumer rights and protections, enrollment, eligibility, coverage, and costs.
• Serves as the regional focal point for CMS interactions with Medicare Shared Savings Program Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) and innovation models.
• Serves as the regional focal point for CMS oversight of the Medicare Administrative Contractors’ program and fiscal integrity function.
• Implements national policy for Medicare Parts A and B beneficiaries and health care providers.