# CMS Names Acting CIO

CMS CIO Patrick Newbold is scheduled to leave the agency on November 27, 2026, and Information Systems Group Director Mark Plaugher is set to serve as acting CIO while CMS seeks a permanent successor. The transition comes as the agency emphasizes outcome-driven technology adoption following cloud modernization, AI adoption, and reported IT cost savings; senior IT roles across HHS also remain in acting or vacant status. For contractors supporting or pursuing CMS work, leadership continuity may affect technology governance and priorities in cybersecurity, modernization, cloud spending, and AI.

- Companies serving CMS should account for the leadership handoff in ongoing technology planning and align proposals with measurable outcomes, rather than presenting AI as an end in itself.
- The signals identify cloud modernization, cybersecurity, and technology cost savings as areas of recent focus; contractors can relate relevant capabilities to those priorities without assuming a change in requirements or a new procurement.
- With a permanent successor still to be identified, contractors may want to ensure transition plans and program documentation clearly support continuity across CMS technology work.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Information Technology, Healthcare
**Topics:** Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Services
**Published:** November 12, 2026

### Government Entities
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
- Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

### Key Quotes
> Instead of leading with AI, we’re going back and we’re leading with outcomes. And if it just so happens that AI is helping meet those outcomes, that’s a good thing.
> — Patrick Newbold, CMS Chief Information Officer

### Sources
- [CMS CIO to leave agency at end of month - Nextgov/FCW](https://www.nextgov.com/people/2026/11/cms-cio-leave-agency-end-month/417181) - Nextgov/FCW
- [Patrick Newbold to depart as top CMS tech official | FedScoop](https://fedscoop.com/patrick-newbold-depart-cms-top-tech-official) - FedScoop
- [CMS CIO to leave agency at end of month - Nextgov/FCW](https://www.fcw.com/people/2026/11/cms-cio-leave-agency-end-month/417181) - Nextgov/FCW