In the Spotlight: Weems hired by Vangent and more news ...

Former acting CMS Administrator Kerry Weems was hired by Vangent, an Arlington, Va.-based provider of information management and business-processing outsourcing services, to the new position of senior vice president, health strategy. He will lead the company’s efforts in the health and health IT markets. In addition to heading the CMS, Weems served as vice chairman of the American Health Information Community. Initiatives begun on his watch included instituting the agency’s first nonpayment rules for “never events” such as wrong-site or wrong-patient surgeries and implementation of its first electronic-prescribing program. Weems, 53, left the CMS in January, ending a 28-year career with the federal government during Democratic and Republican administrations. During his HHS tenure, his positions included deputy chief of staff, CFO and chief budget officer. According to a news release, Vangent clients include HHS, the CMS, and the U.S. Defense, Education and Labor departments.

HCA, Nashville, named Richard Tayrien to the newly created position of chief health information officer, effective Sept. 21. Tayrien, 56, an internal medicine physician, previously worked as vice president of clinical information systems of Catholic Healthcare West, San Francisco. Tayrien, who had served on the Inpatient Work Group of the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology, will oversee the development and implementation of HCA’s health informatics technology, called hCare, which is targeted to build on existing electronic health records to include computerized physician order entry and decision support. Tayrien will report to HCA’s clinical services group president and CMO.