CMS Fills Chief Information Officer Role

WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Patrick Newbold has been appointed chief information officer (CIO), as reported by Federal News Network. After the addition of Newbold, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will have four more open CIO roles, including at HHS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. 

Before joining CMS, Newbold had worked at several other large citizen-facing organizations. Newbold held the position of deputy CIO at NASA for more than two years and served as acting CIO for the Social Security Administration before joining NASA. Additionally, he spent more than two years with the Army Corps of Engineers as deputy CIO.

Newbold will succeed former CIO Rajiv Uppal, who recently became CIO of the IRS. Patrick attained a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems from Bethune-Cookman University, a Master of Science degree in Business Administration from Texas A&M University and a Master of Science degree in Legislative Affairs from Georgetown University.

The open CIO positions across HHS are due to departmental leadership reorganization of technology oversights and management structures that took place last July.

A spokesperson for HHS said the department has strengthened CIO authority and governance, aiming to empower CIOs with greater authority over information technology (IT) decisions.

“The current structure, where the CIO is a dual report to the HHS Deputy Secretary and the Assistant Secretary for Administration (ASA), offers significant strategic advantages by integrating IT with the department’s broader administrative functions, while also retaining reporting channels to top HHS leadership as needed,” the spokesperson said. “This setup allows the CIO to align IT initiatives with operational priorities, facilitating seamless integration and execution across the department. The CIO receives focused support in governance, resources and strategic alignment, enabling more effective implementation of IT projects across HHS. This approach enhances the department’s ability to respond to emerging challenges and opportunities.”