- Brandt is in charge of CMS policy and operational activities, including acquisition and financial management
- She also oversees efforts to deploy AI to mitigate healthcare fraud
- Her 2026 Healthcare Summit keynote may explore CMS’ FY27 budget request and modernization plans
The Potomac Officers Club, the nation’s leading GovCon events and networking organization, is thrilled to announce that Kimberly Brandt, deputy administrator and chief operating officer at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, will keynote the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Healthcare Summit on Dec. 3 at the Hilton-McLean in Virginia.
She joins a distinguished lineup of keynote speakers that includes Dr. Matthew J. Memoli, principal deputy director of the National Institutes of Health, and other government leaders who are revolutionizing how the government delivers care for the American public. Tickets are now available here!
Who Is Kimberly Brandt?
As COO and deputy administrator of CMS, a role she has held since January 2025, Brandt oversees the coordination and implementation of new program initiatives and policies across agency components. She is also responsible for enterprise risk management and administrative operations, including information systems, acquisition, financial management and human resources.
Brandt served as CMS’ principal deputy administrator for policy and operations during the first Trump administration, when she helped oversee the management and execution of the agency’s $1.4 trillion budget and led efforts to reform physician self-referral regulations.
The health regulatory and policy expert also previously spent more than six years on the staff of the Senate Finance Committee, where she led healthcare investigations and was involved in the political nomination process.
Her earlier government service includes roles as CMS director of the Medicare Program Integrity Group and senior counsel and director of external affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General.
Beyond her leadership at CMS, Brandt currently sits on the Healthcare Advisory Committee. Introduced in March, the committee will advise HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz on how to improve the financing and delivery of services across Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the Health Insurance Marketplace.
What CMS Efforts Does Kimberly Brandt Oversee?
AI Deployment
AI is helping CMS crack down on fraud and waste. The agency is using a “Netflix-type algorithm” to analyze data and identify potentially high-risk individuals for closer monitoring, while ensuring that eligible individuals maintain full program access.
As of February, the agency has saved $2 billion by implementing AI for fraud detection and contract oversight.
“Within the first year [of using AI], to be able to get rid of 90 percent of some of these potentially bad actors, it’s a huge thing for us,” Brandt shared. “Our hope is that … in this next year, as we implement that even more widely, it’s going to be a huge saver for us.”
AI/ML tools have also helped the agency combat improper Medicare laboratory payments by evaluating Medicare fee-for-service claims and spotting unusual billing patterns or other indicators of potential fraud or abuse. In August, the agency said it revoked 157 fraudulent lab providers from the Medicare program.
Modernization
CMS is also accelerating its modernization efforts to mitigate fraudulent activities.
In June, the agency established the Office of Health Technology and Products to upgrade existing technology and build new digital products that directly impact beneficiaries, providers and states.
Brandt also said that CMS is working with industry partners to sunset legacy systems and create a more modern infrastructure designed to issue payments to providers in real time, Nextgov/FCW reported. The agency recently selected Tegria to support ClaimsCore, an initiative to modernize Medicare fee-for-service claims processing.
Government contractors can hear more about CMS efforts to adopt AI and modernize legacy systems at the 2026 Healthcare Summit. Get your tickets today.
What Will Kimberly Brandt Discuss in Her Keynote?
Brandt is well-positioned to speak on CMS’ fiscal 2027 budget request of $1.48 trillion, including $3.21 billion for program administration. Brandt may offer insight into how CMS will allocate its budget to advance its modernization, AI deployment, fraud deterrence and other initiatives.
During her keynote address at the 2026 Healthcare Summit, the official is also expected to discuss:
- AI’s expanding role in fraud detection at CMS
- How CMS is utilizing AI to improve agency operations
- Upcoming efforts to replace legacy systems with more modern tools
- How CMS is partnering with industry on modernization
- Contract opportunities in the pipeline
- What new technologies the agency needs to support its mission
Why Should GovCons Attend the 2026 Healthcare Summit?
The 2026 Healthcare Summit will bring together government and industry leaders to tackle the most pressing challenges and the next-generation technologies poised to transform the public health landscape.
Speakers from government include:
- Dr. Gil Alterovitz, chief AI officer and chief data officer for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality at HHS
- Melissa Austin, director of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
- James Perkins, acting program executive officer for defense healthcare management systems at the Defense Health Agency
- Lt. Col. William Gamble, trauma surgeon at Walter Reed and U.S. Northern Command trauma medical director within the Joint Trauma System
- CDR. Darshan Thota, chief medical informatics officer at the Joint Trauma System
- And many more to be announced soon!
Panels will examine how agencies can align policy and legal frameworks with AI deployment, mitigate fraud while safeguarding access to care, strengthen military health and combat support, and navigate the delicate balance between healthcare costs, quality and accessibility.
Beyond the stage, networking sessions throughout the agenda offer opportunities to exchange ideas and build lasting partnerships that deliver innovative capabilities and advance agency missions.
Be part of the conversations that will redefine the future of federal health. Register today!
