Robert Samonte Tagalicod Email & Phone Number

Clarksburg, Md, Us

United States

Strategic Alignment and Operational Efficiency- Aligned ASA priorities with Administration goals, focusing on operational efficiency, fiscal responsibility, and accountability across HHS programs.- Streamlined governance and reorganization efforts, realigning key offices such as OCIO, PSC, and NLERO under ASA to eliminate redundancies and improve service delivery.Fiscal Stewardship and Budget Discipline- Directed multi-billion-dollar budgets, driving cost savings through strategic formulation, quarterly reviews, and establishing the ASA Financial Policy Governance Council.- Ensured taxpayer dollars were utilized effectively by implementing transparent financial management practices and achieving measurable outcomes.Workforce Modernization and Skills Development- Advanced workforce initiatives aligned with national economic growth priorities, including partnerships with Minority Serving Institutions to build pipelines into critical fields like cybersecurity, healthcare, and finance.- Supported workforce flexibilities while ensuring mission readiness, contributing to a more effective and responsive federal workforce.Policy Reform and Regulatory Efficiency- Led the implementation of OMB-23-15 directives, simplifying regulatory requirements and improving compliance across HHS operations.- Established consistent performance standards for FOIA and records management, addressing inefficiencies while ensuring transparency and accountability.Stakeholder Engagement and Public-Private Partnerships- Fostered collaboration with public and private sector stakeholders to address healthcare workforce needs and modernize IT systems, reducing dependency on outdated systems and increasing efficiency.- Coordinated initiatives with federal agencies, academic institutions, and industry leaders to create job opportunities and advance Administration priorities for economic competitiveness and innovation.

Washington Dc-Baltimore Area

- Championed and secured the Special Salary Rate for IT/Cyber professionals across the Federal government- Co-facilitated Federal-wide adoption of the Cyber Career Pathways Tool (https://niccs.cisa.gov/workforce-development/cyber-career-pathways-tool), ensuring consistency in job requirements in cyber Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Tasks (KSATs), i.e., "Hire the right cyber talent for the right cyber job!"- Coordinate strategic communications and implementing engagement tactics, e.g., the Department's Future of Work initiative and Federal Best Places to Work.- Plan HHS regional visits working with HHS Intergovernmental and External Affairs and Deputy Assistant Secretaries, e.g., addressing employee safety and security issues; engaging with Minority Serving Institutions to enhance HHS' talent pipeline recruitment.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Spearhead efforts to create and sustain a culture of smart communication that optimally raises awareness, changes attitudes, and motivates people to take action in support of the Department's "Cyber Resiliency" goals and objectives.Champion the Department-wide implementation of the Federal Cybersecurity Workforce Assessment Act (FCWAA) and the related National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) initiative to address critical workforce gaps, working with OPM, OMB, DHS, DOD, and VA. Represent HHS on the private-public workforce development effort, Cybersecurity Talent Initiative (https://cybertalentinitiative.org/), out of the Partnership for Public Service. Provide thought leadership, driving secure interoperable data exchange across the Federal space in support of mission objectives. Developed strategic business proposal for the NIEM Health Domain in support of:- Priorities such as Value-Based Care by promoting interoperability of clinical health and other data such as social determinants of health (SDoH).- High value “edge case scenarios,” e.g., addressing the Opioid crisis; and reporting public health emergencies such as outbreaks of Influenza, Ebola, and Dengue, internationally, under the rubric of biosecurity.Collaborate with CISA on the NIEM Cyber Domain to promote interoperable information exchange on cyber threats, facilitating timely response and recovery.Serve on the Federal Health IT Coordinating Council and contributor to the development of the latest Federal Health IT Strategic Plan related to security, and privacy.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Advise the HHS Immediate Office of Deputy Assistant Secretary for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer on enterprise IT-related, mission-focused policy and strategy. Lead Performance Management efforts toward creating and sustaining organizational excellence in delivery of information and technology services and products. Manage regulatory engagement: communications and responses to Government Accountability Office (GAO), Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of Inspector General (OIG), and Congressional committees. Support Deputy CIO on governance of the IT investment portfolio for the HHS Office of the Secretary (approximately $400M annually). Serve as subject matter expert on governance and digital health, e.g. healthcare systems, payment reform, disease surveillance. Lead IT performance management, leveraging Technology Business Management framework to better manage the cost, quality, and value of HHS IT services.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Forefront of strategic planning initiatives across HHS over the last eleven years that includes the development of the HHS IT Strategic Plan, 2017-2020; the HHS Interoperability Roadmap; the Federal Health IT Strategic Plan; the CMS Strategy: The Road Forward, 2013-2017; and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ E-Health Strategic Plan. Recognized by the HHS Secretary with Award for Distinguished Service for the Implementation of ICD-10.Oversaw HHS’ enterprise IT governance to ensure timely approval of FY18 investments over $20M each per year that have nation-wide impact, such as CMS’ Quality Payment Program (QPP) and CDC’s transformation of its disease surveillance system. Through QPP, systems are being readied to support the overhaul of Medicare Parts A and B reimbursements as part of the transition to the Merit-based Incentive Payment System and innovative Advanced Alternative Payment Models, per MACRA. The CDC investment—a shared service—supports interoperable data exchange with local public health departments that allows for rapid response in the event of public health events, e.g. Zika and Ebola outbreaks.Policy and program expert in:- Enterprise governance, capital planning, and acquisitions per the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA), Clinger-Cohen Act, and industry best practices.- Laws, regulations, and policies regarding health care delivery and payment reform such as the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, and Medicare Fee-for-Service payment regulations.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Directed CMS’ multi-billion dollar health IT portfolio—creating one of the Department’s largest cross-cutting program and communication efforts (see www.cms.gov/ehealth). Portfolio included rulemaking and expertly managing $27 billion in payments under the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Program. Integrated with the pay-for-performance reporting requirements of the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) and Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) efforts, the incentive program resulted in the widespread adoption of EHRs in the U.S. among eligible health providers. Oversaw two major e-health policy initiatives: (1) Administrative Simplification regulations, including seven proposed rules projected to save $26B industry-wide in administrative costs over 10 years; and (2) ICD-10 regulations which have national impact on health related payments and revenue cycles. Managed an operational e-health budget of $250M annually in collaboration with business and system owners across CMS and HHS enterprises. Executive sponsor of the CMS Data Governance Board, supporting interoperable information exchange (e.g. Big Data).Ensured all deliverables in support of the deployment of Healthcare.gov (Health Insurance Exchanges) was completed in time, meeting the highest industry standards of cybersecurity and privacy, e.g. NIST SP 800 and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Promoted industry-wide engagement (e.g. via the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics) to advance data and information exchange standards and rules in collaboration with health plans and providers Regularly tapped to regularly brief Cabinet level officials and bipartisan Congressional committees on health and related technology policies. Recognized for collaborations with industry stakeholders such as health plans, health care systems and physician groups, and innovators in health IT to promote digital health.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Directed the consolidation of otherwise disparate communication and related IT projects across the agency representing a portfolio of a half a billion dollars annually: the 1-800 Medicare Call Center, the MyMedicare.gov website, Office of External Affairs, the CMS Media Center including studio facilities, and the annual Open Enrollment for Medicare Parts A and B. Oversaw newly consolidated office comprising 350 employees and five executive office directors. Through his leadership, the agency achieved approximately 15% cost savings and efficiencies. In addition, he worked in tandem with the Office of the Secretary and the White House to develop major information campaigns to facilitate better consumer understanding of and access to the various health insurance programs of the Affordable Care Act.Responsible for prime time TV and radio commercials with well-known advocates (e.g. Andy Griffith) to ensure Medicare eligible Americans have timely medical and hospital coverage (approximately 55 million beneficiaries).

Served as a Senior Advisor and Special Assistant in the Office of the Administrator, providing support to four CMS Administrators across two Administrations. Strategically collaborated with policy and technology leads—including researchers and actuaries—across the agency to support implementation and data-driven performance reporting of projects under the HITECH Act and other provisions under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

- Regularly tapped by the HRSA Administrator for workforce development special projects such as providing technical assistance to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to best deploy the National Health Service Corps as part of post-Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. - Served as spokesperson and project officer for the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program (NHHSP) and strategically directed agency communications related to Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander issues in local, national and international forums. - Revamped the NHHSP program that resulted in better deployment of health care professionals to targeted areas of greatest need in the State of Hawaii, e.g. Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). -Regarded as a key subject matter expert on Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHOPI) issues for the Department.- Managed the E-Government portfolio of the Bureau of Health Professions (BHPR) and the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, and ensured the adoption of business best practices, e.g. Earned Value Management reporting; change control oversight; security and privacy controls; enterprise risk management.

San Francisco Bay Area

As the project officer overseeing 12 clinical workforce development, training, and capacity-building programs funded through the Ryan White CARE ActEnhanced prevention and care services by clinical providers serving underserved populations in the Pacific Rim (California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii, Guam and the Pacific Compact States). Some major accomplishments included:- Increasing the competencies of clinical and allied health providers in HIV/AIDS care through innovative curricula, targeted training, site visits, compliance reviews and technical assistance to various projects at major universities, medical schools, health departments, and non-governmental organizations throughout the Pacific Rim.- Promoting training and deployment of state-of-the-art rapid HIV testing, e.g. Orasure. To that end, he led strategic private-public partnerships between pharmaceuticals and health departments to promote HIV rapid testing technologies as the new standard in preventive care across the country and internationally. His training was recognized as a leading best practice by the National AIDS Education and Training Center (NAETC).- Overseeing innovative uses of satellite communications to enhance telemedicine and other health IT solutions that support real-time clinical intervention and distance learning in the Pacific Rim.- Negotiating resources from various U.S. and international donor agencies such as the World Health Organization to address high-priority health issues and opportunities for joint activities in the Pacific Rim, e.g. building a Level II lab in Guam.

San Jose, Ca

Managed a multidisciplinary team of 10 analysts that supported strategic planning of county health initiatives in the Public Health and the Ambulatory and Community Health Services departments, including HIV/AIDS prevention and early intervention, coordination of healthcare and benefits, TB control, diabetes management, immigrant/migrant health, and children's health insurance. Oversaw standardization of data gathering and reporting of fiscal and health outcomes, including standardizing ambulatory care intake forms.

Oakland, Ca

Led as the subject matter expert in community planning and governance via the Ryan White Planning Council, directing policy development, needs assessments, service prioritization and care coordination, and program evaluation. Developed and coordinated RFPs to support the timely disbursement of $5.1 million in Ryan White CARE and County funds. Ensured better compliance by grantees with terms and conditions of award towards improving HIV/AIDS related care.

San Francisco Bay Area

Led in ground-breaking efforts to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS in chronically underserved communities-at-risk. Conducted leading edge formative evaluation studies to create innovative HIV prevention programs in San Francisco and Santa Clara Counties which were highlighted in the IX International AIDS Conference (Linsangan RA, Tagalicod RS. Cultural considerations in AIDS campaign messages. Int Conf AIDS 1993 Jun 6-11;9(2):942. Abstract no. PO-D35-4347)

Education record

Licentiate (Doctoral Level)

Education record

Licentiate Degree