Please join HIMSS NCA on April 21st for an in-person discussion on ways that technology is enabling the Federal government's fight against Fraud, Waste, and Abuse. We're excited to hear from leaders across the Federal government on their IT strategies and efforts to help meet their goals related to the fight against Fraud, Waste, and Abuse in the health and human services sector.

5:30 - 6:15pm - Networking

6:15 - 6:30pm - Welcome & Announcements

6:30 - 7:30pm - Program

Location: LMI Building 7940 Jones Branch Dr. Tysons, VA 22102

Proof of vaccination will be required before admittance into the event. 

Speakers:

Gerald J. Caron III, Chief Information Officer / Assistant Inspector General of Information Technology, Office of Inspector General, HHS

Mr. Caron is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) / Assistant Inspector General of Information Technology (AIG/IT) for the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as of May 2021. Mr. Caron has over 24 years of information technology (IT) experience.  He began his career in the US Army working in hands-on technical positions serving for 7 years. Previously he has served as the Director of Enterprise Network Management (ENM) within the Directorate of Operations in the Bureau of Information Resource Management (IRM) at the Department of State (DOS) since June 2016. Mr. Caron then spent 2 years as a contractor with the federal government, where he acquired more refined technical skills and a more detailed understanding of IT operations.  He joined the federal government at the Department of State (DOS) in 2003 as a Systems Administrator.  He has held multiple positions at the DOS, moving from managing small technical groups leading up to Director for ENM.

One of his most significant accomplishments was acting as the technical liaison during a major cyber security event at the Department. His leadership allowed the Department to resolve the incident as quickly and effectively as possible with minimal impact to the mission. Mr. Caron is a co-chair on the CIO’s Innovation Counsel for Zero Trust as well as co-chair for ATARC.org Zero Trust Working Group. He previously chaired ATARC.org Trusted Internet Connection (TIC) 3.0 Working Group which resulted in 8 vendor proof of concepts being delivered to government participants.

James Ross, Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Investigations – Field Operations, Office of Investigations, VA

James Ross was appointed Deputy Assistant Inspector General, Office of Investigations (OI), in VA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) in August 2020. In this capacity, he is responsible for directing the investigative efforts of OI’s seven field divisions, as well as its two proactive components: the Investigative Development Division and the Healthcare Fraud Division. Previously, DAIG Ross was the Special Agent in Charge of OI’s South Central Field Office from August 2018 to August 2020. In this role, he was responsible for leading a field division comprised of criminal investigators and administrative staff who conducted investigations into allegations of crimes and other violations of law impacting VA’s programs and operations.  Before this position, DAIG Ross was a special agent in and later the Resident Agent in Charge of OI’s Houston Resident Agency.
 
Before his work at VA OIG, DAIG Ross was a special agent with the U.S. Secret Service and was responsible for leading complex financial crimes and threat investigations, as well as protective operations, in the agency’s New Orleans and San Francisco Field Offices.  DAIG Ross began his law enforcement career with the Orlando, Florida, Police Department. DAIG Ross holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminology from Florida State University and is currently completing a Master of Science Degree in Data Analytics and Policy at Johns Hopkins University.

Raymond Wedgeworth, Director, Data Analytics and Systems Group, Center for Program Integrity, CMS

Raymond Wedgeworth is the director of the Data Analytics and Systems Group in the Center for Program Integrity at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.  He has more than 20 years of experience in both the private and public sectors in health care research, finance, and health information systems.  As a result, he has had the opportunity to lead many ambitious efforts to advance the performance of health care programs and systems.

Throughout the course of his career, Mr. Wedgeworth has developed several comprehensive research techniques, tracking systems, and databases to ensure the integrity of health care systems.  In recent years, he has overseen the continued development and implementation of systems and predictive analytics techniques related to the detection and prevention of fraud, waste, and abuse.  His group serves as the focal point for analytics and systems associated with combating fraud, waste, and abuse.  In January 2017, Mr. Wedgeworth was appointed as a Senior Executive Service member.

MODERATOR: 

Charles Gabrial, Digital Standards Lead, Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization (FEHRM)

Charles Gabrial serves as the Digital Standards Lead for the Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization (FEHRM) program office. In his role, he leads digital health standards to enhance interoperability and advance data sharing. Mr. Gabrial collaborates and coordinates with multiple large agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, on policy, standards, and technology. He successfully led multiple impactful endeavors at the Defense Health Agency that involved patient safety, quality improvements, and the determinants of health for predicting community health and wellness levels. 

Prior to assuming his federal role, Mr. Gabrial gained more than 25 years of experience in data sciences, analytics, and digital and IT transformation. His experience spans various industries, including health care, health planning, finance, banking, and media, and he has a strong track record as an expert in implementing mission-critical IT modernization, including migration, predictive analytics, machine learning, and robotic processes automation. Mr. Gabrial led multiple major initiatives during his tenure at Deloitte and IBM, advising and transforming client systems in large organizations such as Freddie Mac, Discovery Communications, the World Bank, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Humana, Walgreens, and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.