Health & Human Services CTO to step down

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Chief Technology Officer Bryan Sivak will step down at the end of April, according to reports in Government Technology. Sivak, who took over the post in 2012, led the HHS Entrepreneurs in Residence program and was instrumental in launching the HHS IDEA Lab.

Sivak often spoke on the impact of big data on healthcare and the impact of making that data more accessible. "In the 21st century, things are changing at such a rapid pace, both from a technology perspective and from a societal perspective, that if we want government to be effective, then we need to have an organization that can be proactive—or immediately reactive—without the constraints and confines bureaucracy places on it," Sivak told Government Technology in November.

Sivak was known for championing innovative technologies, including some that stirred controversy, such as the release of Medicare claims data. "Since joining us in 2012, Bryan has been a force for promoting innovation across the department, designing and deploying initiatives that improve the performance of the department for those we serve, and for our employees," HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell wrote in a staff email, according to FCW. "Bryan has championed some of the department’s most innovative projects."

Pamela Tabar

Pamela Tabar was editor-in-chief of I Advance Senior Care from 2013-2018. She has worked as a writer and editor for healthcare business media since 1998, including as News Editor of Healthcare Informatics. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Kent State University and a master’s degree in English from the University of York, England.