Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services bolsters leadership team

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has made several new additions to the agency’s leadership team, as well as changes to the portfolios of senior staff in the office of the administrator.

Paul Mango has been appointed as CMS chief principal deputy administrator and chief of staff, and Chris Traylor as the agency’s deputy administrator for strategic initiatives. In addition, the administrator has promoted deputy chief of staff Brady Brookes to deputy administrator while retaining the title of deputy chief of staff.

"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,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar .

Administrator Seema Verma said: “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.

“These new additions will further strengthen our executive team and will help deliver on the promises made by the Trump Administration to better serve the American people.”

Mango comes to CMS from McKinsey & Company, where he was a senior partner and also filled additional leadership roles within their US and global healthcare practices and as the head of McKinsey’s US centre for health reform.

Traylor joins CMS with over 26 years of public sector service in the area of healthcare and social services. Since 2016, he has been leading a healthcare consulting firm. Traylor retired as the executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) in 2016 after previously serving as the commission’s chief deputy executive commissioner. Previously, he led the Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) for a two-year term in Texas and as the state’s Medicaid director for over three years.

Brookes joined CMS in 2017 after serving as then-governor Mike Pence’s legislative director.