Office of Program Operations & Local Engagement

Erin is the Deputy Director for Drug & Health Plan Operations (DHPO) at the Office for Program Operations & Local Engagement (OPOLE) at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Erin joined CMS in 2007, recently served as the Deputy Group Director for the Payment Policy & Financial Management Group, and previously served as the Director of the Division of Policy &Analysis at the Center for Consumer Information & Insurance Oversight (CCIIO). She has served CMS as the Division Director for the Division of Risk Adjustment Operations and the Pre-Existing Conditions Insurance program. Erin oversaw policy and implementation of premium stabilization programs such as: risk adjustment, reinsurance, and cost-sharing reductions totaling more than $30 billion. Erin worked on the incorporation of prescription drugs in the risk adjustment model, the early years of the EDGE server operations that support Risk Adjustment, and the launch of the Risk Adjustment Data Validation program. Erin and her teams have published peer-reviewed work on the private insurance risk adjustment experience. Most recently she served in the CCIIO Front Office, working collaboratively in leading the successful January 1, 2022 launch of the No Surprises Act alongside the Department of Labor & Treasury Internal Revenue Service; providing consumers relief and protection from surprise medical bills. Erin serves as a mentor across CMS, and has received or sponsored more than 20 CMS and federal service distinguished awards.

Prior to CCIIO, Erin served at the Office of Legislation as a division director for the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) working on bundled payment, and as a special assistant at the Center for Medicare (CM) working across Medicare Advantage and Part D fee-for-service programs.

Prior to CMS, Erin held roles at Avalere Health LLC; Humana, and advocacy organizations focused on Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial markets. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee and a Master’s in Public Policy from the George Washington University.

Tiffany Swygert is the Deputy Director for the Office of Program Operations and Local Engagement, Innovation and Financial Management. She leads the administration of the Medicare fee-for-service program at the regional level to protect over 60 million beneficiaries, support over 1.6 million health care providers, physicians and practitioners through oversight of Medicare Administrative Contractors, Accountable Care Organizations and CMS’ innovation models, and ensure the Medicare program’s fiscal integrity. Tiffany has served at CMS since 2005 and has held numerous positions throughout the agency, primarily in the Center for Medicare. 

Most recently, Tiffany served  as the Deputy Director of the Technology, Coding and Pricing Group in CM.  She simultaneously served as the point person for Part B Drug policies related to the Inflation Reduction Act. Tiffany recently returned to CMS after serving as a Senior Advisor for Medicare to the Domestic Policy Council in the White House on a one-year detail. In that role, Tiffany was responsible for a broad array of Medicare policies and advised on policy for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.  She has also served as the Director of the Division of Outpatient Care in CM, and worked for several years in the Office of Legislation. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master of Health Sciences in Health Policy and Management as well as a certificate in Health Finance and Management from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is originally from the Bay Area in northern California. 

As OPOLE’s Deputy Director for Local Engagement & Administration, John Hammarlund directs CMS’ consumer education, stakeholder outreach, and environmental scanning portfolio in all ten federal regions across the country and is honored to supervise the CMS Regional Administrators/Staff Directors. John is also CMS’ field lead on rural health policy and opioid treatment initiatives.

John’s background includes work in both the public and private health care and insurance sectors. He has been with CMS since 1993 in a variety of policy and management roles, including at CMS’ Office of Legislation in Washington, D.C.

A Seattle native, John holds a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, a master’s in health administration from the University of Washington, and a Juris Doctor from Cornell Law School.

Ray joined CMS in June 2011 and is currently the Deputy Director for Strategy and Business Operations within the Office of Program Operations and Local Engagement (OPOLE). In this role, he provides executive leadership for OPOLE’s shared business operations for 650 staff in 11 locations across the U.S. His previous role was Deputy Consortium Administrator for the Consortium for Health Plans Operations (CMHPO) and Regional Administrator for the Boston and New York Regional Offices (Regions I & II). As the Deputy Consortium Administrator, he provided oversight and guidance to the 10 CMS regional offices across the country for the administration of Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans. As Regional Administrator, he worked diligently to strengthen engagement and partnerships with a variety of CMS stakeholders while promoting awareness of all CMS programs through outreach and education throughout New England, New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Ray served 20 years in the United States Navy as a commissioned officer where he held diverse leadership roles including two successful Commanding Officer tours. Hurd earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Norwich University and a Master’s Degree in Management from Troy University. 
 

• 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.