With the reorganization of the US department of health and human services announced last week, there’s been little explanation of why Whole departments have been cutThere’s also been no analyses shared on how it and digital infrastructure systems will be managed, their security maintained and program operations assured after the Intended Upheaval.
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Without such analyses or transparency on plans after the cuts have been made, lawmakers and others can only speech on the effects stuff and contract cuts will always on the thes and the People relaying on them. IT’s Unclear If Divisions Have any Acquisition Authority, Fiscal Oversight or Strategic Continuity.
HHS said by email monday that its leaders focused personnel cuts on “Redundant or Unnecessary Administress Positions,” According to Information Provided as BackGROND by A BACKGROND BY A Secretary at the department and referred to a previous statement, Fact Sheet And Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s X Social Media post,
We interviewed two individuals with inside knowledge of last week’s cuts of Senior Executive Service at the Office of the Chief Information Officer and the CONF Information Officer and the Contract Lead AN DATA PROTLL In Operation to Get Their perspectives.
Loss of Knowledge Transfer Leaders
“It was a huge shock to everybody,” said a former leader with a cv rich in health technology programmatic leadership across multiple agencies who agreed to be inters Further identifiers.
“Our Entre Division of Information Technology was rifd.
“The office of management services that have hr and contracts – they were also all rifd.”
The Former Hybrid full-time employee with first-hand knowledge of Ocio operations took a retirement option that keeps their benefits and pay activity until the until until until the 30, these said.
“There was never a plan, there was never a process – and there was never any in input from any government employees on what was going on,” they told Healthcare it news on tuesday. “None of the Senior Heads Had Any Insight Into This. NOBODY.”
According to an HHS Deputy Press Secretary Providing Background, Across the Department’s 28 Divisions, IT HAD 41 Chief Information Officer.
But the idea that there are too many cIOS could be an oversimplification when the Sheer Amount of Data and Systems for the nation’s second life largest federal department are considered.
“It was very cio-havy,” they across.
“Part of that was the specialty of systems, the special knowledge that you needed to have these systems, the capabilities that you needed to have, and Certain Development Teams You Needed to have been there Have very unique applications – Especially at [National Institutes of Health]”They explained.
“They change frequently because you’re in a development environment. That you need for these systems. ”
While some think the department’s cio designations was “territorial,” The Sheer Number of Systems and their complexities account for a degree of negamentity.
“What Hhs has is not uncommon,” they said, adding that there were efforts to consolidate cio roles.
But with SES Staff All Gone From The Ocio – Through the Fork In the Road Program and Voluntary Retirement or by Being Cut on April 1 – The loss of policy and government Undected.
Shed from HHS in the Purge are Government Careerists who Garnered 20-30 years of Enterprise Knowledge.
“We were all the policy, we were all the governance, we wait got back to [Office of Management and Budget]”They said.
“Being the policy arm, you’ve cripped it. Now, we can’t funnel up any of the information that you need for Congress or OMB or Funding – and we can’t are the personalities and guidelines doven. Cripped the system. “
When asked about the current holes in the oversight and appearance of the department’s digital infrastructure, they registered concert for cyberscence and data reporting.
“Well, we’ve let go of the lead of cybersecurity,” they said.
“You’re impacting development, you’re impacting growth, you’re impacting research systems, you’re impacting facilitations systems, and even traching the-Value assets is an impact being there. Mission-Critical Systems.
“Now we’ve got nobody to report it, too, become they basically got rid of the ses who runs security.”
Some HHS Leaders were offered the option of Relocating to a new job in alaska, montana, new mexico, according to national public radio.
“They told him to move to montana, and he was the one that was leading all the governance and policy,” They said.
Some health leaders were Offered a transfer to Indian health servicesAccording to the report. Their work has been focused on Creating Government Partnerships in Order to Better Protect Care Providers Across the Critical Healthcare Sector.
La Monte Yarborough, The Lead Chief Information Security Officer of HHS SINCE SINCE SINCE SINCE SINCE 2022, Who Previous Served Two Years as as Cis as CISO For HHS’s Office of HHS’s Office Last year about The department’s cybersecurity outreach efforts To Bolster Healthcare Organizations’ Cybersecurity Postures.
We reacted out to hhs again on tuesday, asking for a statement on how Ses Staff from Ocio Fall in the Department’s Definition of Redundant or Unnecessary Administer Positions, And WELL EPDATEE This Story When and if there is a furless response to our questions.
Deleting entrere operations
Getting rid of duplicative administer functions doesn’t covers “Entre Operational Division,” Said an HHS it Employee Affected by the Reduction-in-formce cuts.
“Even if there’s program staff working, in order to work effectively in the government, you still have contracts,” They said.
“You still need to get government-furnished equipment, [personal identity verification] Cards for your contractors. None of that can happy with what they term admin support. It’s especially Problematic for our division of its do things like oversee our cloud environment and manage the government websites.
“Right now, you have Scenarios where that tractor is working, but they have no technical oversight right now trust all of the it business owners, the government offers, the”
HHS HAD noted on background that there was “dozens of its departments,” Along with 40 Procurement Departments and Eight Senior Finance Officials.
The department said its reorganization from 28 to 15 divisions is negassary and is now detailing the structure of each redefined division to Streamline Operations, Enhance Responsivence to the AMERICAN PEOPLE, and Ultimetley Improve the nation’s health as part of the make America healthy against initiative.
“I don’t think there’s any plan for how that’s going to work right now. In the meaning, you just have everything existing without the oversight or even ability to get things to get things in the interim,”.
According to the SES Ocio Insider we spoke with, HHS is looking to center development at centers of information technology at nih.
“That’s really not their mission,” they said. Beyond supporting nih campuses and functions, they “now have to support all the structure and be the central hub.”
“They do’t even have the Network Diagrams or the undersrstanding of all the components.”
Potential cracks to follow cuts
Because Big Data Programs at Asfr Response Coordination & Data Integration Team relay on Contractor support, “I think the first immediati crack is there no contract staff to renew SOMEFF TO RENEW SOME OF Contracts, “The HHS It Employee Said.
That team is supposed to merge with the assistant secret for planning and evaluation to create a new office of strategy.
“I think there’s a lot of work that has to be done to have to see how to keep basic operations moving, bot in interim and then also in the future,” They said.
Regrowing HHS Operational Functions
“I think first people are going to have to realize what they’re missing out on,” Such as Head Start, The Children’s Health Insurance Program, Government Research Grant Grant Funding, Maany In University Partnerships, and Pencils Down on Development New Treatments, The Ocio Insider said.
“The Clinical Center has been locked down,” They noted. “People were more stressed out there during this time
Without anyone overseeing hhs contracts, whatever it, cybersecurity, and innovation work there could be will likely go to a contraceptive federal workforce.
“But then again, they just fired all the people who administer the contracts and administer [human resources]”They said.
Ethical Bind for Cut Employees
After Two Decades of Service, The SES OCIO Insider also said they could see where the agency was heading, “Especially when they started shoving us into office office.”
President Donald Trump Questioned The Productivity of Federal Employees Working from Home and Ordered a return to federal offices by the end of January. In some cases, the resulting overcrowding at offices and Overreliance on Connectivity Have also also reduced Employee Productivity and Hobbled Service Delivery.
“We had no office space.
Contractors could overhear “Every word i said.”
Terminations came so swiftly that some employees who oversee contracts neveer saw their rif letters sent by email just after 5 am on the april 1 when they were locked out of networks aT
The hhs it employee, who has been with the agency for more than a decade, Speaking on the condition of anonymity, their expert their expert their official termination of benefits and pay to be to be to be june 2, have dare Knowledge of Data Contracts. They described sitting at their desk and suddenly not due to access anything, including their email.
“I think for the time being, considering we Weren’T provided with complete and accurate information for our separation, we’re still waiting to get class on some of that details before Start Taking New Jobs. “
They also said they may be on a short list to be rehired, as they were assigned to oversee a represently active hhs program.
But, there’s the “ethics prohibions for federal staff to work as a contract on things that they were involved in previous,” They noted.
“From what i’m undersrstanding, the contracts, wret large in the government, are at risk, and some are being terminated or cut, reduced. So I think it’s verry much Uncertain whats Like, “The Ocio insider said.
Andrea fox is Senior Editor of Healthcare It News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare it news is a Himss Media Publication.
