Fraud, waste and abuse of the Medicare system have always been challenging to get under control. Those who exploit federal health care programs can cost taxpayers billions of dollars, according to a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services report, while putting beneficiaries’ health and welfare at risk. CMS’s Center for Program Integrity plays a key role in managing this challenge by detecting, preventing and combating fraud, waste and abuse across CMS and other federal health programs. Beyond...
May 18, 2025•9 min
In this episode of Keeping IT Brief , host Mary Ann Brown is joined by Max Shuftan, Director of Mission Programs at SANS Institute, to discuss one of the most pressing issues in cybersecurity today: the talent shortage in federal agencies. As nation-state cyber threats continue to evolve, agencies are facing an uphill battle to find skilled cybersecurity professionals. Max sheds light on how inclusive and targeted training programs can help address this critical shortage by unlocking untapped po...
Apr 13, 2025•8 min
In this episode of Keeping IT Brief , host Mary Ann Brown sits down with Jim Coyle, US Public Sector CTO at Lookout, to discuss the evolving landscape of cybersecurity threats posed by nation-state actors. With over two decades of experience in cybersecurity, Jim brings invaluable insights into the emerging tactics, tools, and techniques used by global adversaries to target critical infrastructure. As we look toward 2025, Jim highlights the growing alignment between cyber efforts from nation-sta...
Apr 06, 2025•8 min
In this episode of Keeping IT Brief , host Mary Ann Brown sits down with George Kamis, Chief Technology Officer at Everfox, to dive into the critical intersection of cybersecurity, zero trust, and cross-domain solutions. With over 25 years of experience in Cyber and Cross Domain Solutions, George sheds light on the common misconceptions surrounding zero trust and its role in government security frameworks. While zero trust is foundational to securing networks, George explains why it cannot addre...
Mar 16, 2025•17 min
In this episode of Keeping IT Brief , host Mary Ann Brown is joined by Robert Ezekiel, Director and Product Strategist at Booz Allen Hamilton, and a winner of the prestigious 2025 FORUM IT100 Award. Robert reflects on what this award means to him personally and professionally, sharing how his work supporting Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Hiring Our Heroes program has made a lasting impact. Robert talks about a pivotal career moment that shifted his focus from a technical role to one centered on ...
Mar 16, 2025•11 min
In today’s episode of Keeping IT Brief , host Mary Ann Brown chats with Matt Quinn, Science Director at TATRC/DoD, about his groundbreaking program, Passive Data Collection for Automated Documentation, which won a 2025 Disruptive Tech Award. Matt dives into the specifics of his award-winning program, explaining how it addresses key challenges in the GovCon space and what makes it stand out in the industry. He shares insights into the innovation process, the critical technologies that played a ro...
Mar 05, 2025•26 min
In this episode of Keeping IT Brief , host Mary Ann Brown sits down with Tris Carpenter, General Manager for Strategic Growth at Red Team Consulting, to explore the evolving landscape of federal contracting. As the current administration ushers in significant changes, Tris provides valuable insights into how companies can adapt, thrive, and stay competitive. Key topics discussed include: The major shifts in federal contracting policies and their potential impact How workforce reductions are affe...
Mar 04, 2025•29 min
In this episode of Keeping IT Brief , host Mary Ann Brown is joined by Alexis Bonnel, Chief Information Officer & Director of the Digital Capabilities Directorate at the Air Force Research Laboratory. Recently recognized with the prestigious 2025 FORUM IT100 Award, Alexis shares her thoughts on what this achievement means to her both personally and professionally. Through this conversation, Alexis reflects on a pivotal moment in her career that significantly contributed to her success and th...
Mar 02, 2025•7 min
In this episode of Keeping IT Brief , host Mary Ann Brown is joined by Felipe Fernandez, Chief Technology Officer at Fortinet Federal, Inc. With over 20 years of experience in networking and cybersecurity, Felipe leads the charge in delivering mission-critical cybersecurity solutions for federal agencies. He shares valuable insights on the current state of zero trust implementation across federal agencies, as well as the challenges many still face in aligning these principles with their unique o...
Feb 10, 2025•13 min
In this episode of Keeping IT Brief , host Mary Ann Brown is joined by Saeed Elnaj, Chief Innovation Officer at RELI Group, to discuss the role of AI in transforming the federal health industry, particularly in the Medicare system. With 30 years of experience in technology leadership and expertise in Generative AI, cloud technologies, and digital transformation, Saeed shares his insights on how AI can significantly improve customer experience (CX) and health outcomes for older, non-digital-nativ...
Feb 06, 2025•14 min
In this special episode of Keeping IT Brief , host Mary Ann Brown is joined by Ann Dunkin, former Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and recipient of the 2025 FORUM IT100 Award. With a wealth of experience in both government and private sectors, Ann reflects on her career journey and what this prestigious award means to her personally and professionally. She also shares a pivotal project or moment in her career that significantly contributed to her success. A...
Feb 04, 2025•14 min
In this insightful episode of Keeping IT Brief , host Mary Ann Brown is joined by Kyle Tuberson, Chief Technology Officer at ICF and a recent winner of the prestigious FORUM IT100 Award. Together, they discuss what this remarkable achievement means to Kyle both personally and professionally. Kyle shares a pivotal career moment that helped shape his journey to success and how it influenced his leadership in the tech world. The conversation also dives into his vision for the future of technology a...
Feb 02, 2025•8 min
In this special episode of Keeping IT Brief , host Mary Ann Brown sits down with Joseph Sabin, the Vice President of Cyber Programs at Adapt Forward and a recent winner of the prestigious 2025 FORUM IT100 Hall of Fame Award. Joseph shares his journey to this major achievement, discussing the dedication, challenges, and pivotal moments that have shaped his career. With over two decades of experience in the IT field, Joseph reflects on the personal and professional significance of receiving the aw...
Jan 26, 2025•7 min
In this episode of the Keeping IT Brief podcast, host Mary Ann Brown sits down with Susan Burke, Vice President of Military and Veterans Health at Cognosante, a part of Accenture Federal Services. This week, we're celebrating Susan's remarkable achievement as a 2025 FORUM IT100 Hall of Fame Winner. Susan shares her insights on what winning the prestigious FORUM IT100 Award means to her, both personally and professionally, as well as the pivotal moments and projects that have shaped her career. S...
Jan 05, 2025•10 min
This week, we’re joined by Joel Krooswyk , Federal CTO at GitLab , to explore the critical issue of legacy IT systems in the public sector and how AI can be a game-changer in modernizing government IT infrastructures. Key Topics We Cover: The Legacy IT Challenge Many federal agencies still rely on outdated systems that are vulnerable to security risks, costly to maintain, and hinder the development of mission-critical applications. Joel discusses why these legacy systems are so challenging, part...
Nov 12, 2024•16 min
In this episode of Keeping IT Brief , we sit down with Brian Chidester, Head of Industry Strategy for the Public Sector at Adobe and a recipient of the prestigious FORUM IT100 Award. Brian shares what winning this award means to him both personally and professionally, reflecting on the pivotal moments in his career that have contributed to his success. We delve into his vision for the future of technology in the public sector and how he sees the role of innovation and strategy evolving in this s...
Nov 11, 2024•8 min
In this episode, we sit down with Eduardo F. Ortiz , a visionary CEO and Marine Corps combat veteran, whose journey from government service to entrepreneurship has been driven by a singular passion: breaking down barriers to access critical services. As the CEO of Coforma , Eduardo leads a team that designs cutting-edge technology solutions, making life easier for countless people. Tune in to hear how his time as a software engineer and product strategist shaped his approach to innovation, and h...
Sep 30, 2024•42 min
Welcome to this episode of Keeping IT Brief , where we dive deep into the world of technology with the experts shaping its future. Today, we’re thrilled to welcome Steve Orrin, Intel’s Federal Chief Technology Officer. Steve is a heavyweight in the tech world, spearheading Public Sector Solution Architecture, Strategy, and Technology Engagements at Intel. His career is a testament to leadership in cybersecurity and innovative technology, with past roles including CSO at Sarvega, CTO of Sanctum, ...
Sep 22, 2024•10 min
Data standards play a crucial role in fostering collaboration and interoperability within the healthcare and public health sectors. These standards are designed to enhance data exchange efficiency and support diverse healthcare environments. Today we speak to from Leidos, Yoseph Asfaw, Chief Technology Officer Austin Kreisler, HL7 Subject Mater Expert, on how health data standards are developed, shared, and maintained by the HL7 International organization in cooperation with the members of the h...
Aug 19, 2024•18 min
Value-based payment models have become increasingly important across healthcare as tools for reducing costs and improving the quality of care that patients receive. Many of these models have been the focus of large-scale experiments and require the use of large, data complex systems. Robin Weinick, Principal of Resonant, LLC, Aneesh Chopra, Chief Strategy Officer at Arcadia, and Don Simpson, Director at Guidehouse, discuss issues associated with data and AI in value-based models. Robin Weinick, ...
Aug 11, 2024•21 min
Healthcare professionals increasingly use wireless devices such as smartphones and mobile apps as healthcare organizations become more dependent on mobile services for gathering patient data, monitoring remote patients and more. But as the number of devices healthcare organizations use increases and their functions and locations expand, management becomes more complex. Today we speak with DJ Oreb, President, Managed Services at DMI about how from cybersecurity risks to remote device maintenance ...
Jul 22, 2024•11 min
OMB recently announced its first-ever government-wide policies to mitigate the risks of AI and harness its benefits for government agencies. This guidance will provide agencies with guardrails to ensure ethical use, citizen privacy, transparency, and promote IT modernization and competition across each sector. Today we speak to Principal Solutions Architect at Sev1Tech, Greg Porter, on how as agencies ramp up adoption of AI tools to increase operational efficiency and streamline workflows, it’s ...
Jul 22, 2024•16 min
Health disparities impair attainment of, and opportunity to attain, optimal health for all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, geography, preferred language, and other factors that affect access to care and health outcomes. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services mark improved health care access as a priority area for the agency and the federal health community – this is evident through CMS’s Framework for Health ...
Jul 21, 2024•29 min
Today on Keeping IT Brief, we have a special guest: Dr. Dolores Kuchina-Musina, author of the groundbreaking book " Public Procurement for Innovation: Research and Development at the US Federal Level. " In her insightful book, co-authored with Benjamin McMartin, Dolores presents a comprehensive analysis of the innovative contract vehicles driving progress in the United States. Discover how these alternative approaches are revolutionizing public procurement and fostering groundbreaking advancemen...
Jul 09, 2024•29 min
The public sector is ramping up efforts to manage mobile device security risks. The House recently released a draft of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which includes a measure requiring the Secretary of Defense to evaluate the services available to help the DOD secure mobile devices. Today on Keeping IT Brief, Jim Coyle, U.S. Public Sector Chief Technology Officer, Lookout discusses how with the rise of BYOD policies in government, criminals are using increasingly sophisticated tact...
Jul 09, 2024•10 min
Global geopolitical changes, weather, health and macroeconomics play a part in managing our everyday supply chain. Addressing these factors while accounting for operational agency challenges are becoming a critical part of a supply chain practitioners job. Gaps in reliable, complete data, integrated analysis, undocumented risk assessment procedures, and unclear roles and responsibilities are contributing factors to a vulnerable supply chain risk management program. Elizabeth (“Beth”) Van Absher,...
May 09, 2024•38 min
The public focus of EHR modernization has been on configuring a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solution that blends all the requirements that are unique to the VA with a system that is widely used in the commercial sector. But equally or even more importantly, the VA needs to continue to invest in, maintain, and upgrade its current EHR – the Veterans Health Information System Technology Architecture (VistA). Today we discuss these insights which are from a recent Federal News Network guest arti...
Apr 28, 2024•10 min
Every day in the United States, thousands of legitimate prescriptions for the opioid class of pharmaceuticals are written to mitigate acute pain during post-operation recovery, chronic back and neck pain, and a host of other cases where patients experience moderate-to-severe discomfort. While many of these drugs provide pain relief, the potential for misuse and outright abuse due to their addictive nature is extremely high. Since the 1990s, opioid abuse in the U.S. skyrocketed to the point that ...
Apr 21, 2024•12 min
Dr. Richard Stone, Retired Army Major General who served as the Deputy Surgeon General of the US Army discusses how we as a nation can provide better medical care to our veterans during the next medical crisis, he looks into this and more in his memoir, "Save Every Life You Can". Dr. Richard Stone, Retired Army Major General who served as the Deputy Surgeon General of the US Army, currently a Specialist Executive at Deloitte Dr. Richard Stone has served in a myriad of leadership positions over h...
Apr 08, 2024•17 min
As of January 1, 2024, CMS implemented new policies for addressing health-related social needs (HRSN) to proactively treat and better understand the needs of our country's most underserved and chronically ill populations. These policies will support physicians that help patients identify and connect with the appropriate clinical and community resources to address unmet HRSN that may influence a patient's treatment. Today we speak with Kamala Green, social drivers of health program manager at Nat...
Apr 02, 2024•15 min
