The Healthcare Financial Management Association Recognizes Seema Verma for Contributions to Healthcare

The Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) on August 12 presented its highest individual achievement award to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma during HFMA’s digital annual conference.

HFMA chose Administrator Verma as its 2020 recipient of the Richard L. Clarke Board of Directors Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to healthcare in a role that involves oversight of a $1 trillion budget, representing 26% of the total federal budget, and administration of health coverage programs for more than 130 million Americans.

Since her confirmation by the U.S. Senate in March 2017, Administrator Verma has led CMS’s multipronged strategic initiatives designed to empower patients and transform the healthcare system to deliver better value and results for patients through competition and innovation.

Most recently, Administrator Verma, a key member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force,  has guided CMS through the issuance of a wide array of temporary regulatory waivers and new rules that have equipped the American healthcare system with the flexibility needed to effectively respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Administrator Verma has championed consumerism, innovation and high-value healthcare throughout her tenure at CMS,” said HFMA President and CEO Joseph J. Fifer, FHFMA, CPA. “HFMA commends her for continuing her bold leadership in these areas while adroitly marshaling CMS resources in support of healthcare providers and patients during an unprecedented public health emergency.”

Administrator Verma is a graduate of the University of Maryland, and holds a master’s degree in public health with a concentration in health policy and management from Johns Hopkins University. Her editorial commentaries have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Washington Times and Health Affairs. She previously served as vice president of planning for the Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County, Indiana. Most recently before heading CMS, she was president and CEO of SVC, Inc., a national health policy consulting company.

Established in 1964, the Richard L. Clarke Board of Directors Award recognizes individuals who make significant, positive contributions to the profession of healthcare finance or the financing of healthcare services. 

About HFMA

The Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) equips its more than 56,000 members nationwide to navigate a complex healthcare landscape. Finance professionals in the full range of work settings, including hospitals, health systems, physician practices and health plans, trust HFMA to provide the guidance and tools to help them lead their organizations, and the industry, forward. HFMA is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization that advances healthcare by collaborating with other key stakeholders to address industry challenges and providing guidance, education, practical tools and solutions, and thought leadership. We lead the financial management of healthcare.